Resurrection of the Silence
by Metroidvania
Summary: Ranma Sailor Moon Crossover. Ranma's always been far beyond his peers, but when the wedding fiasco goes a bit differently, and a new scenario reveals itself...Apologies for the lateness.
1. Prologue

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off of this work of fiction. Please, if you're going by looking for people to sue, how much money do you think you're going to make? This is a free site, after all…..

Warnings: First, tiny bit of language, violence.

Also, I'm going to use a bit of canon interaction for the wedding, but just for a bit, and it's NOT the same.

Note: Takes place during the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone over at the Fukufics forum for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Prologue

Ranma Saotome, foremost practitioner of the famed school of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, was not having a good day. He had just returned from saving Akane from the Phoenix of Jusendo, Saffron, only to be denied of the cure to his curse, even if he had finally chosen to be able to live with it.

However, when he returned home, he was knocked out, dressed in a tuxedo, and had been told he had been getting a wedding that very day. And his patience was waxing thin.

He ran towards Akane's room, wondering in his head why Akane would finally agree to marry him.

_Tomboy's never even given a second thought to it before,_ he mused to himself. W_onder what made her agree now._

He burst into Akane's room, intent on finding why the girl he…….was fond of… was suddenly having a total reverse in position.

He opened Akane's door quickly, mindless of the fact that 99. of the time, this would have resulted in a "Ranma, you pervert!" and a quick retaliatory strike.

Lucky for him, this was part of that elusive 1.

"Hey Akane!" he shouted as he entered the room. "What's this nonsense about you agreeing to the wed….."

He broke off, stunned at the beauty of the girl who normally was the most plain of the fiancé brigade. He heard Akane's greeting in the back of his mind, but his brain was in a temporary reboot, as referenced in the easy to use Ranma's Head For Dummies: A Reference Guide for The Rest Of us chapter 1; when Ranma sees a beautiful female, depending on the severity of the situation, immediate shutdown of the core may occur, if this occurs, attempt a manual reboot.

He could only stutter incoherently as Akane turned to face him.

"Do you like the dress, Ranma?" Akane asked him. Ignoring his words, if they could be called as such, she continued. "I guess the Japanese style would have been better."

"Ah, no" Ranma was finally able to speak normally. "They are both c…cute. Wow", he continued. "You do look…pretty."

"That's it?" Akane's voice was absolute zero. Inside, however, the magma was boiling. She had just gotten dressed for her own wedding, and all the insensitive jerk could say was that she looked PRETTY?

Ranma, sensing the soon to be eruption, quickly attempted to placate her.

"Nonono," he reassured her quickly. "You're…." he broke off, looking at Akane's face nervously. "You don't look like yourself at all."

Akane was not amused. Her fiancé had just insulted her looks, AGAIN!She knew though, that if she punched him too far, the wedding wouldn't take place, and she couldn't claim Ranma as her own. So, instead, she merely slapped him.

Hard.

The blood was already rising to form the imprint left on Ranma's cheek, but he said nothing, he merely looked down, and waited for the inevitable.

Akane turned away, ashamed at both Ranma and herself. She whispered.

"And to think, I was going to tell you about the Nannichuan…"

Ranma's face shot up instantaneously.

"We've got Nannichuan and you didn't tell me!" He was furious, but he knew that he had to recover the cursed water fast, before the panda or anyone else involved in the chaos of his life attempted to ruin his main chance at a cure. He would sort out his feelings, including the slap, later.

As he ran towards the dojo, he suddenly caught a whiff of an okonomiyaki, mixed with something he hadn't smelled before. As he attempted to catch the erstwhile projectile, his danger senses flared dangerously. The okonomiyaki exploded in his hands, and if not for the ki he had poured into his hands, would have likely caused some pretty hefty damage to his limbs. He heard Shampoo and Ukyo declare their intentions, as well as Konatsu's platitudes. But, as he was getting up, a familiar numbness spread over his body.

_Kodachi's here…… _Ranma thought morosely. W_hich means stick boy's here too…_

"Ranma you cur!"

He was only partially correct. Suddenly, his senses screamed of an attack from behind, and he threw himself forward.

_Nope, now he's Katana boy_ Ranma griped as he dodged the furious swipe, ready for another attack. However, the deluded kendoist merely stopped, and spoke.

"How dare you attempt to marry the fair Akane Tendo without my permission!" His fan flicked out, and the word denied was clearly written. "I will not allow it!."

Ranma dodged the second and third slashes, trying to figure a way to disarm the lunatic without letting anyone else get hurt.

Since when did we need your permission?" He shot back. Suddenly, a fire pail, which of course, was full of water, appeared out of nowhere. Ranma cursed internally.

_Damnit! My girl form is faster, but she's not going to be strong enough when this gets worse!_

He steeled himself anyways for the change in his tactics, but instead of the familiar momentary discomfort he experienced during a change as his body shifted, there was a sudden lurch that he had never felt before.

Ranma Saotome, considered by many to be the best martial artist of his generation, if not soon to be of all time, was swept away by the sudden onslaught in his head, and all faded to black.

_It's so quiet……_was his last conscious thought.

----------

Akane Tendo, last practitioner of the Tendo School of Anything Goes, stared on in equal parts horror and anger, the former towards her home, the latter towards her aqua-transsexual fiancé.

_That jerk! _She thought to herself as she watched Ranma let himself get glomped by the Black Rose_. He can have his floozies for all I care._

She watched as Ranma pulled away, and a glimmer of hope appeared_. Hmph, as if I ever wanted to get married to that pervert _ she continue her ponderings as Ranma dodged Kuno's seemingly pathetic attempts.

Suddenly, she saw Ranma slip, and the pail of water headed straight for her. She wasn't concerned though. Jerk or not, Ranma was strong enough finish off Kuno and hopefully help her stop her fellow fiancés. She turned to see the thrashing of Kuno, but Kuno had stopped his attacks, and appeared to be…..staring?

She stopped her mental wanderings, and looked at what should have been Ranma's girl form.

It wasn't.

Whoever this….being was, it definitely wasn't Ranma.

Instead of the petite redhead that she had expected, this….woman…was about as tall as Mr. Tendo, and there was no mistaking her as the young girl Ranma-Chan had always appeared as.

She held herself with a quiet dignity that Ranma, even when she had been temporarily amnesiac, had never shown even the slightest bit of.

Her eyes, rather than the energetic blue shine of Ranma's, were now violet, darkened by things only she knew, and squinted slightly in preparation for violence.

Her hair was no longer short, and the Dragon's whisker was nowhere to be seen. Instead of the short pigtail that (usually) distinguished both of Ranma's forms, her now dark violet hair was much thicker, and reached past her new height's waist, and down to past her legs, and now paved the floor around her figure, partially covering her appearance.

Ranma's white Tuxedo had also vanished. In its place was a dark blue sleeveless blouse, with a generously low cut in the chest. It was accompanied by a pair of dark green pants that seemed to flow down to the floor. This person's bust was about the same as Ranma's girl form, but on this taller body, it seemed more natural, rather than the oddities that had seemed out of place on the smaller Ranma-Chan.

But these went almost unnoticed by Akane, as well as the rest of the regulars of Nerima. They, along with Akane, were staring at the new symbol located on this woman's forehead. Squarely placed on the woman's forehead was a black 5-pointed star, and it, more-so than anything else on the new woman's form, was disturbing to Akane.

It was apparently the same for the rest of the people gathered in the dojo, for Ryoga, Mousse, and Genma stopped fighting over the cask, and Shampoo, Ukyo, Konatsu, and both the Kuno siblings were staring apprehensively at the new player in the game of Ranma's life.

In the appearance of the new figure, no one noticed Happosai sneaking towards the casket, his normal appetite for females diminished by the ki, or lack there of, he was sensing from this new beauty.

Even though Akane was intimidated by the new figure, she needed Ranma for the wedding. Managing to control her voice, she brazenly demanded,

"Where's Ranma, you hussy? You better not be a new fiancé! This is MY wedding."

The figure merely stared on into space, ignoring her. Akane's blood boiled. No one ignored her, not Ranma, not the other fiancés, NOBODY!

"I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU STUPID SLUT!" Even she was shocked at her choice of words, but they had been spoken hastily, and were unable to be taken back, even if she'd wanted to.

But the mysterious woman merely stared off. Slowly, her head rotated around, seemingly analyzing the various martial artists standing before her. Her gaze came to a stop when she spotted Happosai silently sipping from the cask, his back to her. Her violet eyes narrowed in anger, and without warning, strands of her hair were flying through the air. They moved silently, flying towards the perverted grandmaster, and Akane could tell that their intent was not friendly. She attempted to shout out a warning, but something was wrong.

Even though she knew that she was speaking, she couldn't hear her voice. It was like when there was so much background noise, you couldn't hear your own voice, except for one key thing, she noticed abruptly. The dojo had gone completely silent, save for the disruption of the strands of hair moving through the air. She could only watch, too far away to act, as the hairs shot towards the old master.

However, Happosai was clearly still on guard. He suddenly threw the cask between himself and the hair, and even as the strands wrapped themselves around the barrel, and in a frightening display, crushed the barrel utterly and completely, he was airborne away from the woman. He made several complex looking warding gestures, and suddenly, Akane could hear again.

But the effort had apparently taken much of Happi's power, as he breathing heavily, and did not appear to be well.

"Happosai!" Akane cried out. "Are you okay?" Even though there was no love lost in her for the perverted old man, he was probably their only chance of finding what was happening, as Cologne was apparently nowhere to be found.

"Stay back," came the gasped reply. "None of you have a chance. Run to the Neko Hanten. You'll be safe there."

Nevertheless, several members of the informally-dubbed Nerima Wrecking Crew ignored him.

"What have you done with my Ranma-Sama, you depraved little harridan?" Kodachi screeched as she shot several paralysis darts that she had pulled out of her black wedding dress.

The insane Rose expected the whore to dodge the traps, in which case, she would step right into her waiting ribbon, which she had shot through the floor.

She should have kept dreaming.

Even as the strands of hair broke away from the now destroyed casket of Nannichuan, and intercepted the erstwhile missiles and destroyed them, the woman leaped over the ribbon that had shot out of the floor, and landed easily to the side. Her eyes were glowing an eerie purple, and she spoke for the first time.

"So that's the way it's going to be…" Her glowing eyes brightened, and suddenly, she was in front of the insane gymnast. Before Kodachi could defend herself, the woman's hand was around her throat, choking her. She spoke in a loud whisper.

"So, little girl, you think you can take ME on?" Without warning, she leapt away, the would-be bride still in her hands. Kuno's blade passed harmlessly through where she had just been. Kuno stopped, and turned to face her.

"So, I see that this is the foul sorcerer's familiar." Even as the others gaped at his stupidity, he continued on. "Even though my sister doth be an ungainly wench, I cannot allow thee to harm her, as she is descended of my father. Defend thyself!"

He leapt, suddenly came down faster than Akane had ever seen him move, his sword poised to sever the hand still choking the Black Rose. The figure did nothing, and Akane averted her eyes in order to avoid the blood soon to be shed.

She half expected to hear something, the sound of flesh severing under steel, the clang of a sword hitting the floor, anything.

However, when no sound was heard, she turned around hesitantly. What she saw shocked her.

More of the newcomer's hair had moved around to cover her arm, and she could see Kuno's strain as he attempted to finish the cut and free his sister. However, the hair appeared to be far stronger than any of Ryoga's ki-infused bandanas, and held with no sign of breaking.

The woman moved her violent gaze towards the Blue Thunder.

"So," she spoke conversationally. "You want to get involved?"

Not waiting for a reply, more of her hair knocked the sword from Kuno's hand, even she knocked Kuno away with an open palm strike to the chest.

Kuno hit the dojo wall.

His outline could be seen on the other side of the wall.

After a few moments, he slid to the floor, his imprint against the wall left for all to see.

Needless to say, he didn't get up.

The figure toyed with the sword, apparently testing its worth. Then, she tossed it into the air. Hair surrounded the sword, and without a flicker of effort, the blade was broken.

Kodachi gasped, her face turning blue. Even though she had learned many methods of breath control in order to further her poisons, even she had limits that were vast approaching. She appeared to wilt, and the woman tossed her next to her brother.

"Weak." She muttered condescendingly as she strode towards the gymnast. "Not worth my time at all."

There was a flicker of movement, and her head swerved to avoid the ribbon that milliseconds before had been on a crash course towards her face. She grinned viciously.

"Ah, maybe I was wrong."

The Black Rose stood there gaping. Not even her Ranma-Sama was that fast. She knew she should have hit the other woman, but her brain could not process the information, still starved for oxygen. Tendrils suddenly made themselves known, and the last thing she saw was her own paralyzing potions moving towards her face.

"Hmm, guess you are weak after all." The figure said to herself as the Black Rose dropped to the floor.

"Prepare to Die!"

Ryoga had seen enough. Hitting a defenseless girl, besides the fact that Kodachi had been doing her best to maim this woman, was enough. He leapt towards the woman, only to be thrown back by a spin kick to his face. Thankful for his endurance training, Ryoga landed back on his feet.

"Fine, then take this! Shi Shi Houkou Dan" The green blast of depression shot towards the woman. The blast was one of the largest Ryoga had produced, as even though he was with Akari, he had still been invited by the bastard Ranma to his one time love's wedding. It was not on the scale of a perfect, but it was fairly close. Ryoga was sure it would be enough to get rid of the unwanted guest.

The figure merely held up its hand, as if to block the attack. Ryoga grimaced, and increased the blast, as he tried to make himself more depressed by imagining Ranma and Akane, together…..The sphere increased even further in size, but the woman merely stood there.

Her hand widened, and as the green sphere approached her, the ball of ki merely seemed to disappear into her outstretched hand.

Ryoga stared in shock. That was one of his best Shi Shi Houkou Dans ever. He gritted his fangs in determination.

"All right, I have no choice. PERFECT SHI SHI HOUKOU DAN!"

The sphere was of ki was immense, larger than anything Ryoga had ever produced. Shards of the dojo's roof shattered and fell as it ascended to the sky.

Ryoga gaped. That was far too big for even Ranma! While the lost boy was admittedly many things, he didn't want to be a killer!

He needn't have worried.

Even as the enormous ball descended back towards the Earth, the figure merely raised an eyebrow.

She placed her still open hand over her head, and as the ball reached the scattered remains of the Tendo Dojo, before anyone else could move, she appeared to concentrate, and the ball winked out as if it had never been.

Ryoga was beaten, and he knew it. He could barely stand up, let alone put up a decent fight. That last perfect Shi Shi Houkou Dan had taken near all of his reserves.

The woman turned to stare at him.

"Such a waste of lifeforce," she muttered to herself, and with a flash, she had cold-cocked Ryoga with her elbow.

She looked around. "Anyone else?" She asked in a shadow of Ranma's cocky tone.

"Happou Dai Karin!"

The bombs were launched, and the woman had no chance to dodge. She crossed her arms in a blocking position as the fuses burned out. The resulting explosion rocked the dojo, as Happosai had gone for an overkill.

When the smoke cleared, however, the woman was merely charred. Her clothes were dusty, and her hair was mussed, but she was unhurt.

"Is that all you've got, old man?"

"Release Ranma now!" Happosai yelled back. "Brat or not, he's still my student!"

Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo gasped. Ranma was possessed by this….thing?

"Nice try, old man. But no can do, its still me in here, after all. Just felt like stretching out after that long nap. Man, I have gotten rusty."

The woman's voice had changed. Whereas Ranma's soprano had been slightly shrill and girlish, this woman's voice was now a smooth alto, sensuous and full

"Airen!"

"Ranchan!"

"Ranma, how dare you pick on Ryoga!"

Shampoo and Ukyo turned and stared at Akane incredulously.

"Um, Akane," Ukyo stuttered, her gunpowder okonomiyaki temporarily forgotten. "That was as merciful as I've seen Ranma fight towards Ryoga."

"I don't care." Akane had always hated being contradicted, and this was no different. "Look at what she's wearing! She's a pervert!"

The woman who had claimed to be Ranma looked down at herself.

"Hmm, I happen to like these clothes. Are you saying I'm indecent?"

"Yes!" yelled Akane, flustered. Where was the normal, sputtering Ranma who tried so hard to deny being a pervert?

"Hm, I don't think so." The woman claimed. "But it does appear I've worn out my welcome. I think it's time for me to leave."

"Demon!" Happosai's voice was more serious than it had ever been. "I will find you, and destroy you!"

"I think not, old geezer. Besides, I have places to see and people to meet."

She turned to leave.

"Oh, and Akane?"

Akane looked up, wondering what the woman could want.

"I honestly wasn't sure what love was. At least, until the slap." Akane's face went white. "Thanks for showing me what love isn't."

She turned again, but Nodoka's voice stopped her.

"Stop." The voice was strong, with no other trace of emotion. "If you are truly my son, you will change back, and marry Akane. It is the honorable thing to do."

The woman smiled sadly, and for a second, Akane caught a glimpse of Ranma in those violet eyes.

"Mother, I'm sorry, but I cannot. I have a debt that must be fulfilled. It precedes all of the current engagements."

"Foolish boy!" Genma spoke for the first time. "You will marry Akane NOW!"

The sad smile disappeared, and the eyes lost their emotion. Ignoring the outburst, the woman continued to stare at Nodoka.

"Mother, I'm sorry I never really got to know you. Maybe someday…."

The figure broke off as Happosai leapt over her to block the exit.

"You won't get away, Demon. All of us combined would fight to our last breath to save Ranma." Everyone nodded in confirmation. No matter what their reasons, they would rather have Ranma back, rather than this unknown woman.

The woman laughed despondently. It was a harsh sound, full of pain, regret, and despair. A single tear fell from her immaculate face, down to the floor.

"All of you could maybe have taken me before, but now…" she broke off, as Genma, Soun, Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyo, fists, bonbori, and combat spatula outstretched respectively, raced towards her, while Happosai started chucking more Happou Dai Karins, and Mousse started throwing everything he had managed to hide beneath his tuxedo.

Her eyes flashed once, and her hair was suddenly intercepting everything thrown and returning it with a vengeance while she effortlessly dodged and weaved through the melee.

Seeing that the brawl wouldn't end any time soon, her eyes dimmed, and she caught Ukyo's spatula with her fingers, used it to parry Shampoo's bonbori, and threw the weapons, owners still attached, towards the fathers and Akane, who collided in an ungainly heap. She looked over her shoulder at Mousse and Happosai, and noted with satisfaction at the scene before her. She had used Mousse's chains against him, redirecting them with precision, and had trapped both duck boy and the geezer to the wall. She knew it wouldn't last long, but Mousse must have coated the chains in some new magic something-or-other, as even Happosai's aura could not break them. She knew it was only a matter of time, though, before the fray was resumed.

She turned towards her mother, whose face seemed to be carved in stone, and bowed deeply.

"Goodbye, Mother." She whispered, and the pain in her voice as she spoke those words was plain for anyone to hear.

She straightened slowly, and would not meet Nodoka's eyes. She snapped her fingers, and a circular patch of darkness appeared on the floor of the dojo. Ignoring the shouted cries, she walked on top of it, then, without looking back, she disappeared into the darkness.

A/N

Well, Prologue's over, folks.

And before anyone asks, no, Ranma is NOT locked.

PLEASE NOTE: I know that technically, Mistress 9 died in both the manga and the anime.

I have my own version of events that will be revealed in chapter 2.

Also note, this will not be an UBER RANMA WITH ALL NEW MOVES AND DECIMATES ALL OF NERIMA.

The hair's not all-powerful, by any means. None of the Ranma crew has seen anything similar, so they were unprepared for it.

Please hit that little button down to the left, select the submit a review option, and click it.

Let me know what you think. If you hate it, all I ask is that you give a halfway decent reason. If you like it, though, hey, any praise is acceptable. (smirks)

Later,

MV


	2. First Contact

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off this work of FICTION.

Warning: SM after Galaxia is almost all fan produced, so don't tell me "Hey, that's not right!"

Also, a bit more violence, and a small amount of language.

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

A/N

PLEASE NOTE:

I'm not exactly sure of Hotaru's grade, as it's up in the air on her actual age. Supposedly, she's 12 when she gets fully back to her old size, but that was in when she got back to her original age, so I improvised a little.

Chapter 1: First Contact

Hotaru Tomoe, bringer of the silence, and one of the defenders of Love and Justice, the Sailor Senshi, was on her way to Azabu Juuban Junior High School.

On the outside, her normal cool façade gave nothing away as the walked towards the building, but internally, there was something……off with her perspective.

Hotaru wasn't quite sure on what it was. It was one of those feelings she got sometimes, as if she was half-asleep, and was about to be splashed with ice water.

Known only to the Senshi, Rei was not the only one who would receive visions.

Ever since, and even before she had been awoken as Sailor Saturn, Hotaru had been gifted not only with healing, but also with a small measure of foresight.

She had seen a vision of the defeated Halycon, and had had a premonition of the universe being invaded when Galaxia had attacked, as well as several others.

She hadn't seen anything yet though, but that in itself wasn't what she considered odd. Setsuna-mama had told the rest of the scouts that Galaxia was their last foe, and all they could do know was to wait for the Great Ice.

Hotaru believed her, as did the rest of the scouts. Even though Pluto had locked the gates after she had banished Pharaoh 90 from Earth, she still was able to get occasional glimpses of the future.

But if that was true, why was she feeling uneasy?

As she tried to find out exactly what felt wrong, she almost walked by the school entrance.

She stopped, however, when she heard the commotion in the school courtyard.

Shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts, she inhaled, exhaled slowly, and started the journey through the school courtyard towards the doors, just as the clock on top of the school moved to point out the beginning of the school day.

--------------

Slowly, the doors of Juuban Junior High opened, and the kids who just previously been studying and working hard (or hardly working) were now out the door, most, if not all of them glad to be out in the clear spring day.

Hotaru walked slowly, avoiding the crowds of kids gathering in the center of the courtyard, remembering a phrase she had heard somewhere. "Out of sight, out of mind." Even though the kids didn't pick on her as much after she had ignored the teasing and bullying, and since she now only used her healing power in dire straits, or when no one was around, she had shown the other kids that she was no longer easy prey to be picked on, and for the most part, they left her alone. They still excluded her to a degree, but she was no longer affected as much, due mostly to the love she received from her parents and the rest of the senshi.

_World History was interesting today_, she thought to herself as she looked for the distinctive hair of her best friend. _America sure has interesting origins……_

As she walked towards the courtyard, she looked around, and saw all of the rest of the kids running around without even getting out of breath

Hotaru fought off a temporary stab of anger at the scene, knowing it would do no good.

After all, it wasn't her fault that Hotaru was still far frailer than any of her friends, except for Senshi form. Even though she was well enough to be out and about by herself, her physical stamina except when transformed was still well below the rest of her peers.

Shaking off her angst, Hotaru let none of it show on her face. It was irrational of her, and besides, she could do nothing about it. She started towards the school gate, where she would wait for one of her respective "parents".

Today, it was Haruka who was waiting for her at the gates.

Hotaru sedately walked towards Haruka, who, without warning, enveloped her in a rare display of affection.

"Haruka-papa, put me down!" Hotaru cried out, apparently flustered. Mentally, she whispered a thank you to her papa, who seemed to know just when she needed some comfort.

Haruka set her down with a grin, and they started off on the short walk to where Haruka's car was parked. As always, the sports car gleamed in the sunlight, but Hotaru knew that despite its apparent innocence, it, like its driver, was capable of far more than it showed.

As Hotaru got into the back seat and immediately attached her seat belt, Haruka greeted Michiru with a chaste kiss on the lips.

Hotaru rolled her eyes, exasperated. Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama were perfect parents, but they were……what was the word…..ah, yes….insatiable.

_Although,_ she thought to herself as the car started towards home. _Thank goodness they've at least had the decency to lock their doors when……_she broke off, her blush visible.

Michiru noticed her blush, and laughed.

"And how was your day, Hotaru?"

"Fine…." Hotaru replied, her eyes on the scenery floating past. Her strange feeling still hadn't gone away, but she wanted to talk with Setsuna about it first.

_But she might not be home…_.Hotaru looked back inside the car.

"Michiru-mama?"

"Yes, Hotaru?"

"Is Setsuna-mama home?" Michiru turned to Haruka, who shrugged. Michiru rolled her eyes, and turned back towards Hotaru, her eyes questioning.

"I don't know, Hotaru." Hotaru's eyes fell. Michiru noticed this with slight apprehension.

"Hotaru, are you okay?"

"Yes, mama." She sighed. Everybody seemed to be asking her that today. "I'm fine."

Michiru looked at Haruka again, but the blonde merely shook her head. She didn't know what was going on with their adopted daughter either. Michiru's fine features marred slightly in a frown, but she knew better than to push. She could only hope that Setsuna could wrest just what was obviously troubling the most powerful senshi.

Hotaru said nothing for the rest of the trip back to their shared home, and this served to confirm Michiru's suspicions. Something was wrong with their daughter.

Even though Hotaru wasn't the most sociable of children (Michiru smiled internally at the irony of that statement, as she and Haruka were barely older than Hotaru…) she had seemed to be getting more talkative and friendly, at least with the Inners and Michiru had hoped that the frail and sickly child that Hotaru had originally been was slowly coming out of its shell. It was a start, at least.

And recently, that had been the case. While Hotaru was still reserved at times, many of the kids, ever since she had entered Junior High, had been less intent on picking on her, as they were forced to concentrate more on studying than on picking on others. If it still happened, however, Hotaru hadn't told her or Haruka, and she made a mental note to ask if Setsuna had heard Hotaru say anything.

Michiru wouldn't press the issue, though. She knew that it wouldn't help matters at all. As the car approached the driveway, she mentally crossed her fingers, hoping that the eldest Senshi was at home. Although the gate was closed, Setsuna still spent considerable amounts of time there, supposedly to make sure the gates were left alone.

While Michiru liked the eldest senshi as a fellow mother, and as a person, she was still amazed at the connection Setsuna and Hotaru seemed to share. Hopefully, Hotaru was all right, and if not, the eldest senshi could talk to her about it.

As Haruka parked the car and shut off the engine, Hotaru got out of the back seat, and without a word, set off at a brisk pace into the house, leaving Haruka and Michiru to follow her.

"Setsuna-mama?" she called out to the empty-looking house. Setsuna had been home when she and Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama had left for school, so she should have been home, as she was able to teleport back and forth, much to the consternation of the wind and sea senshi.

Hotaru moved towards the kitchen, hoping to find Setsuna drinking her customary cup of tea.

However, when she approached the open doorway that signified the beginning of the kitchen, she was disappointed to find no trace of the green-haired woman.

She did, however, find a note in the woman's handwriting taped to the refrigerator.

"Dear Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to be home to greet you, but something has come up on the Gates, and I have left sure the gates are secure. It's probably nothing, but I have to make sure. It shouldn't take long, though, and I'll be home sometime tonight, probably be 7:00 or so.

Love,

Setsuna Meio

Hotaru sighed in exasperation. Even though she knew that guarding the Gates of Time, a weapon, that if used incorrectly, could spell disaster for the whole world, was important, she had very much wanted to ask Setsuna about her uneasy feeling.

_At least she can stay home some of the time. _She reasoned to herself. Usagi, in one of the rare moments that showed the eventual queen she would become, had declared that as long as Setsuna had complete knowledge on the Gates' status at all times, she would be allowed to stay on Earth whenever she wished.

_Well, _she tried to console herself. _At least I know that it's not anything serious._

She moved towards the stairs, and proceeded to go into her room and get started on her history homework.

------------

Near the ruined school building formerly known as Mugen Gakuen, a violet haired woman stared on at the chaos. Her purple eyes took in the ruined structure, where construction equipment was present, and she noticed that one house that had been rebuilt.

Her breath caught, as if she had recognized the structure, and she started at a purposedly casual walk towards the building.

Before she could get to the street crossing, though, Professor Tomoe walked out of the door. She immediately halted, and fell back, still on the opposite side of the street.

He walked with a limp, but otherwise seemed normal. His limp did not seem to overtly hinder him, as if it was only a temporary injury.

As the woman watched warily, he started to tend to the flower bed in front of the entrance, and with great care, started to weed and water his garden.

The woman's face hardened and she started to continue on her walk.

"Oh, that's an interesting color of hair you have there."

She whirled furiously, cursing herself for her carelessness. However, when she had turned, there was only an older, slightly heavyset woman standing in front of her, hands up in an international signal for peace.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you." The woman's face seemed to be apologetic, and the younger woman released her tension with an exhale of breath. "I merely wanted to ask you for what the brand of dye you used."

The woman fingered her hair, as if trying to remember something she had long ago forgotten. After a few seconds, she released her hair, and spoke.

"Actually," her rich alto was smooth. "This is my natural color." The older woman stared in shock for a second.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. Forgive an old woman for her mistake."

"It's quite all right." Violet tresses stirred as a breeze drifted past. "Really, it's just hair. Not anything special"

"You know, I think I remember why I asked." The other woman replied. "I could swear I've seen that shade of hair before…" The older woman paused, as if to mentally try and recall who it was she had seen.

The younger waited in silence while the older woman searched her mind. Suddenly, the other woman snapped her fingers.

"Ah, yes." She spoke. "It was….Hotaru Tomoe. She was the daughter of that poor man over there." She indicated with her head to show of whom she was inferring.

"Was?" The woman queried, her voice sounding dismayed. "You mean she's….."

"Hm?" the woman stared at her for a second before catching on. "Oh no," the woman assured her. "She merely moved away after there was an accident in the poor Professor's lab, and he was gravely injured. He didn't think he would be able to care for Hotaru properly, and lucky for the girl, she was adopted by a lovely couple. I've seem her visit Tomoe every once in a while. She seems very quiet though…" the woman trailed off.

"Yes, having a loving family is very important." The younger agreed, her tone indicating she had some experience with the matter. "Do you know who's adopted her?" the other turned and stared at her, a slight expression of incredulity on her face.

"You mean you don't know?" Violet strands twisted as the woman shook her head once to indicate that she did not. "She's quite lucky, actually. She's been adopted by Haruka Ten'ou, the acclaimed race car driver, and Michiru Kaioh, the famous violinist."

The young woman seemed to take this in slowly.

"Yes, that must be fortunate indeed." She finally agreed amiably, her smooth tones seemingly matching her sentiment.

"Now," she continued. "I'm terribly sorry, but I really must be leaving."

"Ah yes." The older nodded in agreement. "Again, my sincere apologies for speaking out of place." The other woman merely shrugged.

"It was an honest question." She replied in a nonchalant tone, and turned towards her destination.

"Farewell."

She walked away briskly, and quickly disappeared down the street corner.

The older woman stared at where the younger had just been.

"I could swear that she had the exact same shade of hair…." She thought out loud. But it wasn't her concern, and she had already made herself look slightly foolish. She stared for a seconds more, shrugged, and continued on her way.

-----------

Hotaru had just finished her homework, and was absorbed in one of her novels when Haruka called to her.

"Hotaru, could you come down to the kitchen, please?"

"Yes, Papa." Hotaru called back, and put her placemark in her book, and walked out of her room and down the stairs.

When she got down to the kitchen, Michiru and Haruka were sitting down at the table, hands intertwined. She titled her head, her violet eyes casting a confused expression at her parents, who appeared to be slightly nervous, for some reason. After a few moments, Michiru spoke up.

"Hotaru?"

"Yes Mama?"

"It's myself and Haruka's one year anniversary of when we first started dating tonight…." Hotaru gasped.

"I didn't get either of you anything!" She cried out, upset that she had forgotten that piece of information.

"It's okay, Hotaru." Michiru reassured her. "Merely being in our lives is the most wonderful anniversary gift you could have given us." Haruka nodded solemnly, her eyes shining in admiration. Hotaru looked down, embarrassed.

"Mama…."

On an impulse, she ran to the table, and leaned into her parent's embrace.

"Thank you." Her voice was solemn, and she looked up nervously to find Michiru's fond smile. Haruka ruffled her hair affectionately, and Hotaru smiled. Her father would always be in her thoughts, but this was her true family. Her thoughts were interrupted by Michiru speaking again.

"Now, Haruka and I were going to go out tonight, but Setsuna's not back yet." Hotaru looked at the clock on the microwave. It read 7:00 P.M. She quickly thought through her options.

"That's okay, Mama." She spoke suddenly. "I'm okay until Setsuna-mama gets back."

"Are you sure?" Haruka asked, sounding unusually concerned. Hotaru nodded her head fiercely. She wouldn't let herself spoil her parent's big night. No matter what they said, she wanted to give them something that they could use. This was the least she could do.

"Yes, Mama, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll take the phone up to my room, and I know all the Usagi and everyone else's numbers if I need to call for help. Besides," she giggled, and Haruka and Michiru stared at her. "It's not as if we have anything to worry about."

Haruka and Michiru seemed unconvinced, though, and Hotaru quickly tried to pacify them.

"Mama," she whined. "I'm 14 now. I promise that I'll be fine." Haruka seemed satisfied, but Michiru was still wary.

"I don't know…" she pondered. Hotaru sighed. She was thankful for their concern, but she wanted them to enjoy their special day.

"Mama, it's your day, and you two deserve it. Please, go have a nice time. Setsuna-mama will be back soon anyways." Michiru finally appeared to be satisfied.

"All right," she agreed, and Hotaru sighed in thanks. But Michiru was not finished.

"However," she continued. "If Setsuna's not back in an hour, you have to promise to call me over the communicators." Hotaru sighed.

_Honestly,_ she thought to herself._ There's nothing to worry about. We live in a nice part of the district, and the only real problem was the youma, and those are gone._ However, she knew the required response.

"Okay, mama," She replied. "I promise that if Setsuna's not home by 8, I'll call you."

Michiru nodded, seemingly placated.

"There's some food in the fridge," she called out as she and Haruka started off towards their bedroom to change. "And the numbers of the inners are on the phone."

"I know, I know." Hotaru replied as she went back up to her room. "I'll see you later Mama. Have a good time."

"Oh, we will," Haruka shot back in a slightly suggestive tone, and Hotaru blushed and shook her head.

_Honestly, Haruka-papa's going to get into trouble one of these days…_ there was the sound of a palm lightly smacking flesh, and a yelp of surprise. Hotaru smiled as she entered her room. _Oh, that's right. Michiru-mama's more than capable of keeping her in line._

She entered her room, and picked up her book, and began to read.

About ten minutes later, she heard Haruka and Michiru's door open.

"Bye Hotaru," Michiru called as she left the room, heels clicking against the hardwood floor. Her face popped into Hotaru's room to catch Hotaru's face. "Remember to call if Setsuna doesn't get back!" she commanded with a stern expression.

"I will," Hotaru replied. "See you later Mama." She watched as the elegant woman moved fluidly up the hall, and down the stairs and outside.

She listened to the rumble of the garage door and the smooth purr of Haruka's car as it was engaged. The garage door closed, and she went back to her reading, satisfied that at least her Mama and Papa would have a good time. She turned back to her novel, confident that nothing would happen.

-----------

Several chapters later, she looked up at her clock and frowned slightly. It was already 7:50, and Setsuna-mama wasn't back yet. Although she knew that guarding the Gates of Time was very important, since the gates were locked, she thought that the guardian of time would have been home by now, since all she had to do was make sure Usa got back to her own time in the future. She hoped distantly that she wouldn't have to interrupt Haruka and Michiru's night.

She tried to imagine what it would be like for Setsuna to have the memories of thousands of years….

Unlike the inners, and Uranus and Neptune to a lesser degree, she knew that unlike her own admittedly short memories of the Moon Kingdom after her awakening, and the immediate destruction of the Moon Kingdom, Setsuna had received most, if not all of the memories of her predecessor, which had spanned for thousands of years. She couldn't even fathom how much information the Guardian of Time had received when she had been reincarnated.

She could merely hope that Setsuna would be able to stay with them for a while longer. While she loved Neptune and Uranus dearly, it was Pluto who she was truly close to. She wasn't really sure why, but Setsuna felt to her like a kindred spirit, someone who could actually relate to her loneliness, and a welcome ear who would listen without judgment.

She turned back to her book in an effort to occupy her mind and ignore her still-present feeling of unease, but found that the literary device no longer held her interest.

She placed the book down on her nightstand, and hopped off the bed, thankful that she could at least move normally now without having to pause for breath.

_Well, Michiru-mama said that there's food in the kitchen…_ she was hungry, she realized suddenly. _Maybe there's some soba…_

She walked down the stairs, and made her way into the kitchen, noticing how it already gotten dark outside.

She started looking through the fridge for anything that she might wish to consume, and as such, missed the sudden circular patch of darkness appear on the floor behind her. She shut the refrigerator door, and started to rummage through the cabinets.

The phone rang out suddenly, and she started, almost hitting her head on the refrigerator door as she jumped.

Wondering if it was Michiru calling in early, she went over to the device and picked up the phone.

"Hello, may I ask who is calling?"

"Is Setsuna Meio there?"

Hotaru frowned. She didn't recognize this voice, as it seemed rather muffled, and all Setsuna had told her was that if someone called asking for her, she was to write down their name and their message.

"She's not available right now, can I take a message?"

"Where is she!"

Hotaru's frown deepened. This person seemed to be rather rude.

"She's out." She didn't clarify, and the voice was silent. "Can I take a message?"

"Yes, it's very urgent. Tell her that……." The voice stopped without warning. Hotaru stared at the phone, wondering what had happened. She replaced the phone on the hook, and picked it up again, intending to see if there was a dial-tone.

There wasn't.

She shrugged, and replaced the receiver. She picked up the notepad by the phone. Either whoever it was would call back, or they wouldn't, but she would write what little they had said.

"Hello, little Firefly."

The voice was suddenly behind her, and Hotaru's face blanched, but not due to the voice alone.

Rather, it was what the decidedly female-sounding voice that had spoken words she had never expected to hear again.

_No one except for Father ever called me that, and I know I've never told Haruka, Michiru, or Setsuna._ Her thoughts flickered rapidly. _The only other prerson who ever heard Father call me that was Kaolinite, and she……_She broke off, and whirled around, her henshin stick materializing in her hand instantly, ready to be used.

She was nowhere near fast enough.

Even as she started to bring the henshin stick up to transform, the lights went out, and tendrils of…..something…shot out from the shadows, and held her immobile in their grip.

Hotaru only knew one person besides the Senshi that could have figured out her secret, but she couldn't figure out how the red-head had come back.

"Kaolinite?" she guessed

"Really, now, does my voice sound anything like that little bitch who despised our very existance?

Hotaru's eyes widened. Now that she heard more of the voice, she recognized it, and it wasn't her father's "assistant". A chill spread through her body even her eyes adjusted, and her eyes focused on violet hair the same shade as her own. Even as she attempted to struggle to finish her transformation, a delicate hand appeared, and pried the device from her grip with unerring ease. The rest of the person followed suit, and Hotaru's eyes narrowed in confirmation.

"Surprised to see me?" Mistress 9 asked in an controlled, her own violet eyes glowing in the darkness. Hotaru shivered involuntary in the sudden cold that had drifted into the room.

"Mistress 9," Hotaru's glare could have dusted youma. "I saw you die."

"Ah, of course. You did kill me off, after all, little Hotaru." Mistress 9's eyes flashed again, and the black star appeared over her forehead. "But that's not important now, is it?"

Hotaru struggled vainly against her bonds.

"The Senshi will dust you again when they find you," she swore in an incensed voice, but Mistress 9's eyes showed no fear at the obvious threat.

"You are not the first to say those sentiments, little Firefly." Mistress 9's eyes went vague, as if retreating into her memories. Shaking her head, as if to concentrate, she continued. "You, or more importantly, Sailor Saturn," Hotaru gasped in surprise at her secret identity being used. Mistress 9 ignored her outburst, and continued with an air of supernatural coldness. "Are the only one to have ever succeeded, but rest assured, it won't happen again. I don't ever lose when it counts."

Hotaru was puzzled. Something about her foe seemed…..different. She still gave off a malevolent aura, but there was something else…..her foe's latest proclamation had proved that. She struggled, but the hair didn't budge in the slightest. Mistress 9 caught her movements.

"No, Firefly, you're not going anywhere."

"Don't call me that!" Hotaru cried out. "My name is Hotaru!"

Mistress 9 seemed momentarily taken aback, but her preternatural calm quickly.

"Very well, Hotaru," she stressed the word slightly. "You're not going anywhere until you answer a question I have."

"How do you know you won't just kill me after I answer?"

"Very well. On my honor as a…." Mistress 9 broke off for a moment, and then re-phrased her promise. "You have my solemn vow that I will do you no harm on this night if you answer my question."

"Do you expect me to believe you?" Hotaru queried, her voice full of disdain.

Mistress 9 smirked, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you really think I'd kill you now? It'd be no challenge as you are…..plus," she continued. "If you died, how would I find out the identities of the other Senshi?"

Hotaru blanched. She hadn't thought of that, but she did know that there was no way Mistress 9 should even have been able to find her, much less determine that she correlated with the other Senshi.

The sudden glow of a clock caught her eye.

_8:20,_ she thought. _Michiru and Haruka will be worried if I don't call. If I can just stall for time ……_ she turned back to Mistress 9, who did not seem to be paying attention to her. Her eyes were focused solely on the henshin stick that she gripped in her hand.

"Where is Sailor Pluto?" She asked, and it was all Hotaru could do not to gape.

"Wha…why…."

"It doesn't matter," Mistress 9 replied in a more heated tone. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Hotaru scrambled for an explanation that would appease her foe. Mistress 9's face began to resemble a mask.

"Where is she, Hotaru?"

"I don't KNOW!" Hotaru wailed. It was only partially an act. Mistress 9's eyes glowed, and Hotaru's body started to ascend, the silence only broken by the quiet flickering of Mistress 9's hair.

"You're lying." Mistress 9 stated with absolute certainty. "Did you think you could lie to yourself!" the black star on her forehead started to crackle with sudden energy, and Hotaru could feel the power in the room spiking. Mistress 9's eyes were angry, though her face appeared to be indecisive, as if she wasn't sure herself of just what her next action would be.

"Space Sword Blaster!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

The shouts came simultaneously; a golden disc of energy lit up the darkness, accompanied by a blast of bright blue.

The hair around Hotaru released its hold, the young girl falling onto a conveniently located couch, avoiding injury, as Mistress 9 pulled back into the shadows. Her eyes caught Uranus leaping towards her, Space Sword extended a thrusting maneuver, and she flipped away from the weapon with speed that Hotaru, who watched on in detachment, wondered how she had acquired. Mistress 9's dodge carried her to a nearby chair, and she leaped again, barely missing Neptune's "Deep Submerge!" the chair she had previously been balancing took the brunt of the attack, and fell apart in a shredded, soggy mess.

Mistress 9 landed in a pool of shadows, away from the window, and her eyes flashed a brilliant violet. Before Uranus or Neptune could produce another attack, she locked eyes with Hotaru, and her glowing violet pupils narrowed, indicating that this was far from over. Suddenly, she disappeared into the shadows, and the air rose to normal temperatures.

Neptune rushed over to her, while Uranus expected the patch of shadows, making sure the location was secure.

"Are you all right?" Neptune's voice carried a fair share of concern as she noticed a discarded henshin stick. She picked it up, and handed it to the silent Hotaru The young girl nodded slowly in confirmation, and tried to speak.

"That was…" her voice broke, unable to finish her sentence.

"Mistress 9." Uranus' strong voice finished her sentence, the name spoken like a curse, and Hotaru flinched noticeably. Even she could see the painful memories already coming up through the girl's eyes, and she cursed herself for having allowed Hotaru to be home by herself.

Neptune shot her a look that told her to watch her tone, and Uranus grimaced. Feelings had never been her strong suit, and it must have showed. Neptune turned back to their adopted daughter, and spoke softer.

"Hotaru, did she hurt you?"

"No, mama" Hotaru replied, her purple eyes downcast. "She wanted…."

"More heart crystals?" Uranus asked. "The Grail? The Ginzuishou?"

Hotaru shook her head, still not meeting Neptune's gaze.

"She wanted to know where Setsuna-mama was." She whispered, obviously shocked from what had just occurred

Neptune turned for a moment to stare at Uranus questioningly, but the other Senshi merely shrugged in return. She didn't have any potential reason for the servant of Pharaoh 90 going after the eldest Senshi, and apparently, Neptune didn't either. Neptune turned back, and enveloped Hotaru in a fierce hug, clutching the girl to her desperately.

She had been worried when Hotaru hadn't called, and had attempted to use the Deep Aqua mirror to see if Hotaru was all right. When it had shown only a dark 5-pointed star, she knew that something was not right, and she said so to Haruka. The other said nothing, but called the waiter over, and paid for the meal. They were out the door before the waiter could ask any questions, and had jumped into Haruka's car, and the short-blonde haired woman had broken several speeding ordinances on the way back to the house. The transformed on the way, knowing that whatever they would encounter could only be fought with Senshi magic, as well as using the disguise fields to prevent being noticed.

They had burst through the door to their home, and had heard nothing, save an eerie silence. As they quickly searched for their daughter, they felt a sudden dark power spike in the living room. Uranus, being the faster one, was already at the door, loosing off a blast as Neptune saw an image that would plague her nightmares for weeks to come. Mistress 9 had somehow returned, and had apparently attacked Hotaru while they were out, and tendrils appeared to be tightening around her daughter's neck.

The two senshi had acted instinctively to protect their daughter, and even though the damage to the house had been severe, they didn't regret it in the slightest. Seeing Hotaru's state of mind, Michiru only wished they had gotten there sooner.

She turned to Uranus, who had joined in the embrace.

"We need a Senshi meeting," she commanded, and Uranus nodded.

"I'll call the others. We'll meet within the hour."

Neptune continued to hold the silent Hotaru as Uranus activated her communicator, and notified the Senshi.

She could offer Hotaru comfort, but that was all. Nothing could save the girl from her own memories. She held Hotaru for what was an indeterminable amount of time, until finally, the youngest Senshi pulled away.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I'll be okay now."

"Are you sure?" Neptune asked, and Hotaru nodded, and she finally looked up, and Neptune saw only determination in purple eyes. She nodded in approval, then transformed back into Michiru Kaioh. As she held Hotaru as she went up to change quickly for the meeting, one thought was still running through her head.

_What would Mistress 9 want with Setsuna?_

End of Chapter 1

Omake: (for all you Hotaru lovers out there.)

"Very well. On my honor as a…." Mistress 9 broke off for a moment, and then re-phrased her promise. "You have my solemn vow that I will do you no harm on this night if you answer my question."

"Do you expect me to believe you?" Hotaru queried, her voice full of disdain.

Mistress 9 smirked, and shrugged her shoulders. Then, she leaned in close to Hotaru's ear, and whispered, "Do your lips still taste as good as I remember?"

Then, without warning, her lips brushed against the younger girl's own, and initiated the most passionate, thrilling kiss Hotaru had ever experienced. When she looked at Mistress 9, trying to appear upset, and failing miserably due to her developing hormones kicking into overdrive.

"What was that?" she asked faintly, and Mistress 9 grinned.

"That's just the beginning, little one."

"Oh," Hotaru closed her eyes, and fell into blissful unconsciousness. Mistress 9 stared at her curiously.

"I don't remember her being this shy back then…." She remarked, and then transferred Hotaru to her arms. She rubbed the back of her head with a hand sheepishly, shrugged again, and disappeared into the darkness, the purple-haired girl still enveloped in a loving hug.

END OMAKE

Alternate OMAKE: (provided by crytlshake)

Michiru had been worried when Hotaru hadn't called, and had attempted to use the Deep Aqua mirror to see if Hotaru was all right. When it had shown nothing, save a dark 5-pointed star, she knew that something was not right, and she said so to Haruka. The other said nothing, but called the waiter over, and paid for the meal. They were out the door before the waiter could ask any questions, and had jumped into Haruka's car, and the short-blonde haired woman had broken several speeding ordinances on the way back to the house. The transformed on the way, knowing that whatever they would encounter could only be fought with Senshi magic, as well as using the disguise fields to prevent being noticed.

They had burst through the door to their home, and had heard only silence. With experience born of youma hunting they made their way through the house. The tension and dread that hung over the pair increased as the noiselessly ascended the stairs. Uranus gritted her teeth and Neptune whispered a silent hopeful prayer as they crept toward their final destination- Hotaru's room. Taking a moment to listen at the door the sound of movement and breathing was a gratuitous torture that meant they were either overreacting or too late. With no small amount of trepidation they nodded in tandem and kicked the door down.

The house was swallowed in silence.

"MAMA!" Hotaru squeaked. Her hair pooled around her and the sheets pulled up to her chin in fright. The pair of senshi sighed in relief as they dropped their transformations. "Hotaru we were so..." Michiru trailed off as she took notice of the pair of eyes regarding her from behind her daughter. Her steps faltered as the body connected to them jolted her memory like a bucket of ice water. "Wha...?" Haruka asked helpfully of the connundrum watching them apprehensively. "Um….sorry about this?" the other girl said hopefully. That her action was accompanied by a nervous hand idly scratching her neck did little to help the situation when it dislodged the sheet protecting her modesty. Hotaru's parents collapsed to the floor caught between shock, outrage, and a little blood loss.

Michiru would make sure to punish Haruka for that proud silly grin later.

End Omake:

Shortened A/N

Well, hopefully, this provides enough for you folks out there to give an opinion on

As for Ranma being uber, the only possible person who could have dealt with Ranma by the end of the series is Happosai, and there is a reason he seemingly got beaten (besides Ranma being uber, before you think that)….Besides, Mistress 9 didn't kick the crap out of the NWC, she FLED...that signify uber to any of you? I'll reveal more in later chapters….

Please Read and Review…come on, the button's not going to kill you…..I promise...

Later,

MV


	3. Know Thy Enemy

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off this work of FICTION.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 2: Know Thy Enemy

Rei Hino, Senshi of Mars, was noted for many things, but her patience was not one of them….

_Arghhhh…_ she thought to herself wearily…_what's the big deal now? All the enemies are gone, Setsuna said so….And why do we always have to hold meetings here? I know it's secluded, but the outers house would work as well…._

She broke off of her mental halt before it could further degenerate into more moping.

_I guess I have been pretty rankled lately, with school and such, since my grades faltered some with all the enemies we has to fight off…._

Noticing the sorry state of the meeting room, she began to pick up the various items lying on the floor and around the table.

Stopping her cleaning, she took a moment to think, and pondered on why the usually inscrutable outer Senshi had called for a meeting….

_"Uranus seemed pretty concerned on the communicator….but what could have them riled up so much? _

The Senshi of wind had sounded urgent on the communicator, but had refused to go in any detail, only urgently requesting a meeting at Rei's temple home in a half hour or so…..

Rei shrugged, and continued her task. _I'm sure I've got all my manga hidden, so meatball-head can't steal any of them, so hopefully, whatever the outers have to say can get along without interruption _Rei rolled her eyes, amused at her own thoughts…. _Usagi has been getting better, though…._

Rei had noted along with the other Senshi that although Usagi was still the same person she had always been, the encounter with Galaxia had…..changed….her somewhat. The former ditz, although still terrible at school and impulsive, was now toning down her normally ditzy streak, and appeared to be acting more like the queen Rei knew she would become. Although she was a bit concerned with the new Usagi, Rei admitted to herself that she liked the change….Noting that she had yet again become side-tracked, she blew some loose strands of hair out of her face, and continued her work..

-----------

Outside the Hikawa Shrine, if one blinked, they would have missed the sudden appearance of a tall, violet-haired women appearing at the steps that led up to the temple entrance.

The woman had a pensive expression on her face, as if she had been here before, and was now unsure of her status among the residents of the household. She almost appeared to be debating mentally with herself on whether or not to climb the steps up to the shrine…..

After a few moments, the woman nodded to herself, and started to ascend the steps that led to the shrine itself…

Suddenly, she stopped, and caught a few errant strands of her hair as a sudden slight gust of wind had manipulated the violet tresses…

The woman frowned slightly, as if realizing somehow that her hair color was important to the situation.

She concentrated, and with no warning, her long violet hair was suddenly a bright coppery red, luxuriant and rich. She then took her hair into three long sections, and began the task of braiding her hair. A few seconds and deft movements later, the pigtail was in place, and she let the it fall down to her feet.

She nodded, apparently content with the new color and style, and continued towards her destination.

----------

Rei was still going about her task of cleaning the meeting room when she heard footsteps coming towards the house. She glanced at the nearby clock in befuddlement.

_Hm, it's only been four or five minutes since the request…..not even Usagi can run that fast. I don't recall anyone saying they would come over…..Maybe someone looking for a priestess? _

Rei set the magazines she had been collecting down on the table in a neat stack, and went out to the main door.

Exiting out to the grounds, she was surprised at new figure that had stopped walking towards the door when Rei had opened it.

Rei stared at the figure for a few seconds, trying to recall if she knew this woman who had come to the shrine. She wore a deep blue blouse, with a cut that made a small part of Rei jealous, along with a dark teal pair of casual slacks. The hair and the braid seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't recall meeting anyone like this before…….

As she was going through her mental wandering, the woman spoke.

"Hello, Rei. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Rei's head snapped up with a wary look. She didn't remember ever meeting anyone like this woman before, but something about this woman reminded her of……

"Excuse me," she finally spoke. "I don't think we've met."

"Are you sure?" The woman replied, her voice intonating humor at the situation.

"Yes….," Rei tried to rein in her temper. She couldn't just yell at someone she didn't even know.

"Ah, I suppose my current…..situation could have something to do with you not remembering me."

Rei stared as the woman's eyes dimmed, as if trying to get her to recall the woman's identity.

Rei stared….that braid, the body….

"Ranma!" She cried out suddenly. There was no way this woman could be the short young girl from her memories…..but even as she denied her own guess, the woman nodded in acquiescence.

"Yep, it's me." The cultured speech dissolved into the slight slang that Rei now remembered.

"What happened to you?" Rei was flabbergasted. Ranma had been smaller than her, with short red hair, and had always been more of a tomboy than Makoto. This….woman was refined, with a grace that Ranma had never shown.

"It's a long story." The woman shifted her weight, seemingly nervous, and Rei noted this instantly.

"It's okay; you don't need to tell me now." She assured the now-woman, who lightened up considerably. "Did you need any hot water?"

The woman nodded her head. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Well, I can get that for you inside the house. Is there anything else you need, some clothes to change into?"

"Ah, I've got some spare shirts, so I'm good." The woman paused for a second. "Well, I realize this may be a bit soon, but when I came by a while back, you said you were sorry that you couldn't cure my curse and that if I ever needed a place to stay, I could come here?"

Rei did remember.

A few weeks before she had become Sailor Mars, a small redheaded girl had appeared, asking for help on a curse she had picked up. She would not refer to what it was, and had only asked for a cup of hot water. Rei had obliged her, and had stared in wonder as the small young girl changed into a handsome young man.

The young man, who had introduced himself as Ranma Saotome, had asked if her if she would still help him. After her affirmative response, he then explained the origin of his curse, and it was all Rei could do to not to marvel at the stupidity of one Genma Saotome.

When Ranma had finished his explanation, and had made Rei promise not to reveal his curse, he asked if there was any possibility of her finding a cure for it.

Rei had used all of her spiritual powers, but had been unable to divine a solution for the young man's predicament. Seeing his downcast expression, she had offered him a place to stay if he had ever needed it, stemming from both her own sympathy and the hospitality of the shrine.

Despite what others might say, Rei Hino was not cruel, and her offer had been serious. However, Ranma's timing was very unfortunate.

Rei took a long look at Ranma. She seemed to be fine, but using her miko abilities, she could tell that something drastic had happened to Ranma by the imbalance in her ki flow. It was twisted, as if something had forcibly messed with it.

"Ranma, what happened to you!" She cried. "Your ki is twisting into itself."

Ranma looked up with a nervous expression, and Rei chastised herself for pushing Ranma too far. She quickly held up a hand in an attempt to prevent Ranma from leaving.

"I'm sorry for prying, but are you sure you're alright, Ranma?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's a long story, and I'd rather not tell it right now. It'd take too long for me to explain, and I'm really tired." Ranma suddenly yawned, and Rei could see how beneath the strong image the woman projected, she really was quite tired.

"Well, I guess you can stay in my room," she finally answered. "I have some friends coming over, will that be all right?"

"Sure," Ranma yawned again. "Would I know any of 'em?"

"Er, I don't think so." Rei replied, wondering at the interest. "They all live in Juuban, so I don't think you'd have seen them before."

"Yeah, I guess not." Ranma replied, and Rei gestured for her friend to follow her into the house.

"Here's my room." She motioned towards the sliding door. "Feel free to use the bed. I'll take the couch." Ranma started to argue, but Rei would have none of it. "I promised you a place to stay, and I'm not someone who backs out of her word." Ranma tried again to protest, but Rei stared back firmly, and Ranma finally nodded in defeat. Without a word, she dropped into the bed, and closed her eyes, while Rei went off to get some hot water.

When she returned to her room, however, Ranma was already fast asleep, murmuring incoherently as she slept wrapped amongst the sheets. Rei stood still for a second, and then placed the kettle on her desk for Ranma to use when she woke up. She set the kettle down, and turned to stare at her friend worriedly. Whatever Ranma had gotten caught up in this time was severe. She made a note to ask Usagi about the possibility of using the Ginzuishou to remove Ranma's curse.

She closed the door to her room quietly, and walked out to the temple doors, and waited for the other Senshi to arrive.

------------

Ten minutes later, Rei heard a panting emanating from the stairs up to the temple. Seconds later, Usagi slowly climbed the last couple steps up to the temple grounds.

"Hi Rei," she spoke cheerfully, and Rei nodded in greetings. Usagi made as if to go inside, but Rei grabbed her as she started to walk past her.

"Reiiiii" Usagi cried out. "That was mean!"

"Listen Usagi," Rei replied testily. "I've got a friend who desperately needs her rest inside my house, and I promised her if she ever needed a place to stay, I would give it to her. Do you understand?" Usagi nodded in confirmation, her face showing concern.

"Is she all right?" Rei shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure." She responded slowly. "She says she's okay, but I'm not sure…." Usagi nodded in understanding. Her concern for others was one of the things Rei truly liked about her leader.

"Do you want me to use the Ginzuishou?"

"I'd rather not right now. She says she's fine, so I want to be sure before we try anything." Usagi looked downtrodden, and Rei hoped she wouldn't try without Ranma's permission. "I mean it, Usagi." She warned, and Usagi looked up.

"I understand, Rei. I'll leave her alone."

Rei's shoulders lost their tension. Usagi kept her word, and Rei would hold her to it.

"Okay, then. We'll just have the meeting out here then."

Usagi sat down on a nearby bench on the grounds, and Rei leaned against a tree while they waited for the rest of the Senshi to arrive.

------------

Moments later, Ami, Makoto, and Minako had arrived, and while they all seemed slightly unnerved by Rei's kindness, which irritated the Fire Senshi to no end, they all seemed accepting of having a meeting outside.

"It's better for your health." Ami replied when she heard the circumstances behind the change of location. She then appeared hesitant, but spoke up. "Would Ranma mind if I attempted a scan with the Mercury Computer?"

Rei shrugged. "I don't think so, but it'd be better to wait. Ranma's always been the cautious type, and it'd be better to ask."

Ami nodded in understanding. While she couldn't see any reason why not to try, she respected Rei's devotion for her friend, and would honor Rei's decision.

Minako, on the other hand, was slightly upset.

"Argh! I was studying for that make-up exam I have tomorrow, and I didn't bring the book with me. What do the outers want, anyways?"

Makoto, who was sitting alongside Usagi, shrugged. "I don't know, but it's probably important, right?"

The other inners nodded uncertainly. Although no one had forgotten Uranus and Neptune's betrayal, Usagi had forgiven them, and they had sincerely appeared to have made amends since. They and Hotaru were still distanced from the other Senshi, but made some effort to keep at least in contact with them to keep tabs.

"Yeah," Usagi replied. "I think it's gotta be important…..Haruka sounded really worried over the phone."

Rei nodded in confirmation.

"She wouldn't even tell me what had happened….she tell any of you?" Her question was met with negatives, and she frowned. "Well, they should be here any minute, so I guess we'll find out then."

No sooner had she finished speaking those words, when the sudden particular sound made by a high-performance engine made itself known cruising along the street below the temple.

The motor stopped, and urgent steps were heard in a fast jog approaching the temple grounds.

Haruka, with her natural running ability was first, carrying along Hotaru, who seemed to be very shaken up about something. Michiru was scant seconds behind, panting slightly for breath.

Usagi was the first to speak.

"Haruka, what happened? You sounded so urgent over the phone…."

The Senshi of wind didn't answer the question, but replied with one of her own.

"Where's Setsuna?"

Usagi blinked in surprise.

"Setsuna? She said she had to be at the gates to monitor something, but she told me it wouldn't take long….."

Haruka's eyes narrowed in anger, and Rei took a protective step in front of Usagi to ward off any potential violence, be it physical, or more likely, verbal.

"Why do you want to know?" she challenged, and Haruka visibly struggled to contain herself while holding Hotaru, who still was clinging to her "papa" fiercely. Finally, she spoke.

"Let's get inside first."

She made as if to enter the temple, but Rei held out her hand.

"What?" Haruka asked impatiently.

"I've got a sick friend whom I promised I would help if she needed it." Rei responded heatedly. "She's sleeping, but I don't know if having a Senshi conversation in the next room would be the best idea…."

"Of all the stupid…." Haruka began to say, before Michiru placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Haruka reined herself in, knowing that her sentence was better off unfinished.

"Fine," she continued. "Call Setsuna now."

Usagi blinked again, but took out her communicator, and attempted to hail Pluto.

"Pluto? Are you there?"

Instead of the eldest Senshi's voice, a harsh static emanated from the comm. unit, and Usagi frowned.

"That's funny. I tried this before, and nothing was wrong…." She broke off, noting that Hotaru had still yet to let go of Haruka. "Hotaru, what happened?" she asked gently.

Hotaru's eyes were downcast, and her face buried itself in Haruka's shirt. Rei noted this with apprehension. If someone had attacked Hotaru, she could easily see the state of Haruka's rage, and Setsuna wasn't around……While she was musing, Michiru finally spoke.

"We had gone to an evening out for our anniversary, and Hotaru was at home by herself, but Setsuna was supposed to arrive home shortly. However, she didn't, and while Hotaru was home by herself, she was…….." She broke off as Hotaru finally loosened herself from Haruka's form.

"It was Mistress 9." Hotaru's voice was even quieter than usual, and her violet eyes reflected unpleasant memories. Rei shivered at the darkness present in Hotaru's gaze, and as such, she missed the slight twinge at seeing that particular eye color recently.

"But that's impossible…" Ami stated with certainty, though her voice betrayed its absolute belief. "Mistress 9 was vanquished when you assumed the mantle of Sailor Saturn, wasn't she?"

Usagi nodded in confirmation. She had seen everything as Super Sailor Moon, and she had watched as Sailor Saturn destroyed Mistress 9, and then proceeded to seal away Pharaoh 90 and kill herself in the process.

"Yeah, Hotaru…..Are you sure it was Mistress 9?" She asked gently.

Michiru lifted up the Deep Aqua Mirror in response, and the Inners watched in shock as the surface of the mirror darkened and shifted, and they saw the fight, which ended with Mistress 9 sinking into the shadows.

The Inners were momentarily speechless, not sure of what to say.

Rei was the first to break the stillness.

"But Setsuna told us that after Galaxia, there weren't any more enemies….."

"That's what she told us," Haruka grudgingly agreed. "But either she was lying, or there was more to Mistress 9 than any of us knew…."

Ami frowned as she tried to recall details about the foe who had possessed Hotaru.

"Let's see….she was an alien, a parasitic life form, I think…."

"Para-what?" Minako asked, and Ami would have sighed if not for the seriousness of the situation.

"Parasitic. It means the life form doesn't really have a body of her own, and as we know, possesses others to survive."

"But that means…." Makoto stopped, and Ami nodded.

"That's right. If this new enemy is in fact Mistress 9, she has possessed someone else, and is controlling them the same way she attempted to do with Hotaru."

"That's all fine and good, but where's Setsuna?" Haruka replied. "Even if she hadn't seen Mistress 9, she should have been back home, and that could have prevented this!"

Usagi shook her head hopelessly.

"If her communicator's not working, something's wrong….." Haruka threw up her hands, and was about to continue, when suddenly, her eyes widened, and her mouth quickly shut.

Rei turned to see what had interrupted Haruka's reply, and her eyes widened.

At the doorway was Ranma. Although the door was far enough away from their current position to guarantee their conversation had been private, Ranma himself seemed…..off.

The kettle must have still been warm enough, for he was now male, but Rei noted that his male form had gone through some changes as well.

Unlike his female form, his male form had not changed overly much physically. The only real differences were his new dark purple silk shirt, accompanied by a black pair of silk Chinese pants.

His braid could no longer be called a ponytail, as it stretched down to his feet.

And the most different aspect was his hair…..It was still it's normal shade of black, but as it moved in the slight evening breeze, Rei could swear she saw flashes of dark violet appear and disappear as the hair flashed in the last glow of the setting sun.

She quickly turned to the Senshi, focusing on Makoto and Minako's sudden interest in the newcomer.

"First off, he's engaged, so hands off." Ignoring their faltering interest, she continued as Ranma started to walk towards the group.

"He doesn't have any idea about any of our….extracurricular activities, so don't say anything." She whispered.

Ranma stopped when everyone turned to stare at him. He rubbed his head, and looked slightly sheepish.

"Um, hi. My name's Ranma Saotome, heir to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Nice to meet all of you."

"Hello Ranma." Usagi greeted him. "My name's Usagi Tsukino. Nice to meet you too." The other girls followed her lead.

"Ami Mizuno." The blue-haired girl spoke in a friendly tone.

"Minako Aino, handsome." Ranma suddenly looked nervous, while Rei shot a death glare at Minako, who ignored it cheerfully.

"Makoto Kino." While Makoto had managed to not say anything, her own furious stare spoke volumes, at least, until Rei covertly stepped on her toe.

"Haruka Tenou." The short-haired blond merely nodded once.

"Michiru Kaioh." Elegant aquamarine tresses spun as she nodded as well

"Hotaru Tomoe." Hotaru's voice was quiet, and Rei noted that she seemed…..detached from the conversation.

Ranma nodded to each of them as they introduced themselves.

"Are all of you friends of Rei-san here?"

"Ranma" Rei chided. "You can call me Rei. I told you that before."

"Oh, right. Sorry Rei." Ranma apologized. He then turned to the rest of the group.

"Do any of you ladies mind if I borrow Rei for a minute? I have a couple of questions for her."

Seeing no signs of objection, he started back towards the house.

"Hope you don't mind, but they're kinda' personal…" He spoke over his shoulder as he continued on his way to the doorway.

Rei got up, shrugged apologetically to the rest of the Senshi, and started to follow Ranma back closer to the house. However, before she could catch up to Ranma's slow gait, steps were heard coming up towards the shrine.

Rei turned to stare at the newcomer.

He was a tall boy, about her age, and was dressed in rugged clothes, wearing a peculiar bandana around his head. He was talking on what appeared to be a large metal device with which he was…talking with someone?

"For the last time, Nabiki, I'm trying to get back to the dojo! I'm pretty sure I'm in Tokyo, so I can't be that far away….." He broke off when he saw the group assembled there. Turning to Usagi, he quickly asked, "Excuse me Miss, is this the Nerima prefecture?"

Rei couldn't believe it. Whoever this boy was, his sense of direction was the worst she had ever seen.

"No," she replied before Usagi could screw this poor boy up even worse. "This is Juuban prefecture, and you're at the Hikawa Shrine."

"Oh," The boy looked around helplessly, and as he tried to get his bearings, he suddenly stopped, and stared intently. Rei turned to match his stare, and saw, to her puzzlement, that this newcomer was staring at Ranma, of all people.

"Oh, maybe Ranma can help you. I think he lives in…..." She started to reply, but without warning, the boy was suddenly racing after her friend, his expression determined. As he raced towards Ranma, he yelled out.

"Ranma, if you can hear me, even though you have been my rival, I promised Akane I'd save you from this demon that's possessed you! As for you demon," he broke off, hands suddenly blurring in a display of formidable martial arts prowess.

Rei could follow his movements due to her Senshi abilities, but she was sure that if she had been ordinary, she would have been totally lost. She started to send out a warning to Ranma, but even as she opened her mouth, her friend suddenly merely sidestepped, but with a speed Rei had never seen a hint of. Ranma leapt onto a nearby dead oak, and spoke.

"Sorry pig-boy. You didn't have a prayer before, what makes you think you have a chance in hell now?"

The boy glowered angrily, yet said nothing.

And then, as Rei watched, the boy came towards Ranma, but he didn't attempt to climb the tree. Rather, he merely touched one finger to it, and the tree suddenly exploded into fragments of wood. As Rei and the other Senshi watched dumbfounded, Ranma jumped down from the tree right before the tree disintegrated, and landed easily on the floor.

"Wow, Ryoga. You sure have gotten sloppy without me to get you motivated."

"Shut UP!" Ryoga cried, and rushed towards Ranma again.

Flurries of punches and counter-blocks were exchanged in speeds that Rei was barely able to follow.

Ranma appeared bored throughout the whole thing, and "Ryoga's" face appeared more and more angry as he couldn't land a single hit.

"Well, this is uninspiring…" Ranma spoke, and his normal tone of voice had changed back to the strange formal speech Rei had noticed earlier.

He suddenly managed to slip past Ryoga's defenses, and delivered an palm strike to Ryoga's chest.

Ryoga was sent flying back, and crashed into one of the outer temple walls.

Rei watched in horror. Ranma had just killed someone, right before her eyes, and he didn't even seem to care.

"Ranma, you just killed him!" She yelled, and readied her henshin pen. Former friend or not, she wouldn't let a killer escape.

Ranma turned to look at her with a smirk, of all things, on his face.

"Nope, if Ryoga would die from that, He'd have been weaker than that imbecile Kuno, and he'd never live it down."

He turned, and crossed his arms, apparently waiting for Ryoga to reappear.

Rei strained her ears for any sound of movement, but the whole temple had gone eerily silent.

Slowly, she could barely make out frantic words.

"He's here, Nabiki! Hikawa Shrine in Juuban. Yes, I'm sure! Get everyone over here, I'll keep him here until Cologne gets here!" Shouting was heard on the phone, and Ryoga's face turned crimson, but Rei couldn't tell whether it was from anger, embarassment, or both. "Yes, I can handle it!"

Rei was confused. She thought Ranma had been in trouble, but it appeared as if others were desperately looking for him. But as she turned to ask Ranma what was going on, she noted that his smirk had disappeared, and in its place was anger. Ranma's eyes were narrowed in furious anger, and they were……glowing?

Ranma suddenly leapt from his position, whipping out his left foot, and Ryoga blocked with his foot, but Ranma's kick shattered the bulky device, rendering it useless.

"Tell the old fool and the crone that they'll have to kill me first," he murmured loud enough for everyone to hear. "As for you, I think some roast piggy is in order."

Ryoga paled, and attempted to flee. In his haste, though, he fell straight into the pond that lay in the middle of the temple grounds.

Rei watched in horror as he didn't surface from the water. She could only stare as Ranma walked calmly towards the pool, and stuck his hand around, as if to search for something.

Suddenly, there was a eruption from the pool, and a small black pig appeared out of the middle of the water, and somehow directed the water towards Ranma.

Rei knew what to expect, but the rest of the Senshi gaped as the handsome boy changed into a stunning woman…..but Rei's danger sense, which until now had only been moderately alarmed, had now burst into DEFCON 1.

As she and therest of the Senshi watched, Ranma's bright red hair flickered, once, twice, then suddenly…..shifted into deep violet locks. Her Chinese slacks and shirt slowly changed back into the blue blouse and teal pants she had been wearing when she had first arrived.

Even as she sent the little black pig flying through the air, Hotaru suddenly inhaled in recognition.

"Mistress 9," she whispered in an undecipherable tone, and Rei whipped around quickly.

Hotaru was staring as if she had seen a ghost, and when Rei shifted her head to look at Usagi, she too was staring as if she had seen a specter of the past.

"It is…" the reincarnation of the Moon Princess whispered in a disbelieving tone, and immediately commanded, "Senshi, transform!"

Rei and the other Senshi did so immediately, the need to follow the order instinctive.

While they transformed, Mistress 9 stared in slight disbelief for a second but her expression shifted quickly into mocking amusement.

"So, little Hotaru, your guardians were the Outer Senshi after all….."

She turned to Rei, and tilted her head back slightly.

"And you, Senshi of Mars, I would have never guessed…..whatever you use to disguise yourselves, it worked well."

"Mistress 9!" Sailor Moon shouted. "What do you want?" the Senshi readied themselves for the battle that was sure to follow. However, Mistress 9 made no move to attack any of them. She merely stood where by the pond, and spoke.

"As I told Saturn over there, I want Pluto."

"What for?" Usagi replied.

"It's my and her business, Moon. Where is she?"

"Like we'd tell you anything!" Rei replied heatedly. She hated being fooled, and she had let the enemy discover their identities.

Mistress 9's face was unreadable for a second, and then her features resumed its harsh smirk.

"Fine then, I'd love to stay and chat, but with you all, and the old letcher and the hag leading the reinforcements, I think I can wait a little longer." She gestured towards the sun, which was now almost below the horizon. "So, until next time, Senshi."

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock" Venus cried, attempting to capture the villaness, but even as her attack shot towards Mistress 9, the woman was disappearing beneath the shadow cast by the statue in the middle of the pond.

The Senshi stood there for a second, unwilling to admit the possibility that one of their deadliest enemies had come back from the grave.

"Damnit!" Uranus cried. "Mars, how stupid are you?" Rei's scowl deepened.

"Hey, she...he...whoever she was, I never sensed any dark energy before!"

"Uranus, we'll get her," Moon tried to console her, but Uranus shook her words off.

"It's not good enough. Now she knows who we are, all of us. We have no protection against her now."

"Well," Mercury chipped in, "I managed to get a scan of her in both male and female form, and I've think I can get some data off of it that should help us track her….."

Rei was about to ask Hotaru if she was all right, but before she could say anything, she felt another presence behind her.

She whipped around, readying a Flame Sniper, but even as she loosed the arrow, she could sense that it wasn't a hostile presence.

She tried to recall back her magical arrow, but could only weaken its power, and watched on in horror as the…….figure on a large wooden stick watched as the magical energy shot towards it.

Suddenly, the figure moved, and its stick was rotating at speeds Rei could never imagine normal humans capable of producing. The magical fire disappeared as if it had never been, and Rei gaped. Even as the other Senshi readied their own attacks, the figure held up a shrunken hand.

"Peace." The voice was female, and clearly understandable, despite her age. "I mean no harm."

"Yeah right," Sailor Jupiter took a step forward. "Prove it."

"Do any of you know of Ranma Saotome?"

Mars started.

"I do," she replied. "But she's been subsumed."

"Was he just here?"

"He doesn't exist anymore!" Mars insisted.

"I assume by your vehemence that he has been here recently?"

Mars tried to sputter a response, but the woman ignored her.

"Ah, so the young Hibiki was correct after all…." The woman spoke out loud. She seemed to be thinking, then suddenly turned back to the Senshi.

"Follow me if you want the real story behind Ranma Saotome." She spoke quietly, and pulled out a similar phone to the one that the other boy, Ryoga, had used.

"He's no longer here." She spoke calmly. "Yes, I've found some people who've seen them, and I'll bring them back. They seem to have a claim in this as well."

She motioned for the Senshi to follow her, and then to their shock, suddenly kicked off with her staff, jumped onto the the temple, and started leaping from roof to roof, making her way towards her destination.

The Senshi looked at Moon, who nodded in confirmation. She then jumped onto the roof, and the Senshi followed her lead as they leapt after the old woman, each of them hoping to find more about the story behind Mistress 9's reappearance.

A/N

First off, sorry about the long delay. I hit a tiny bit of a slump, and then I was on vacation without any computer access for a week.

Well, this chapter includes the Senshi as a whole learning of Mistress 9, the re-introduction of the Ranma crew,

(sidenote: The reason the Ranma crew didn't show up earlier was because the events in the prologue and the beginning of chapter 1 took place roughly during the same time, and the end of chapter 1 was still the same day, and chapter 2 is the same day, leading to night.)

And most importantly, the re-appearance of male Ranma!

I am aware that the Senshi are essentially standing still for the whole fight between Ranma and Ryoga, but really, aside from themselves, they've never really seen combat to that level. Plus, they thought it was just normal humans fighting, and they couldn't run away and transform just for normal people fighting. So, essentially, they're kind of in shock. Once Mistress 9 shows up, though, they break out of their stupor.

I tried to not make the Senshi or Ranma overpowered. I'm trying to go for sort of a balancing act between latent magic powers versus skill. Of course, one would think Ranma has both, and as such, is uber, but I've got a few things planned for that…… I think the Senshi may seem little under-powered here, but tell me what you think.

As for that little button down on the left, well, I hear that it makes you a better person when you help others out...and reviewing would definitely be appreciated...

(Thanks to Greyscale Gharial for reminding me to include this note, as well as the review note.) I know that Ryoga's breaking point doesn't working on organic materials, so the tree is dead. Technically, it's still organic, but since it's no longer growing, I figure the breaking point could work.

Later,  
MV


	4. Coalition

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off this work of FICTION.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts _

Chapter 3: Coalition

-------

--------

As the Senshi followed the old woman, jumping from roof to roof out of the Juuban District, Sailor Moon snuck a glance at Saturn.

What she saw made her heart plummet in sympathy.

Saturn's eyes were never the most expressive, but in their own way, they were always reassuring and comforting.

Now, though, they were the eyes of a girl who had truly despaired, and climbed out of the pit using every inch of strength she posessed, only to be thrown back down as soon as she had clawed her way out.

Moon wanted to comfort the girl, but she wasn't the best with words, and even if she was, she had no idea of what to say.

_Sorry wouldn't be appropriate _she mused distractedly, still following the old woman. _And I don't know what else to say…_

Even as she was musing on what to say, the Senshi followed the old woman, who appeared to be slowing down.

Breaking out of her reverie, she focused on where the old woman had stopped skipping along the roofs, and had jumped down to the ground, landing on her wooden staff perfectly.

"We're here," the old woman spoke tonelessly. "Follow me."

"How do we know we can trust you?" The Senshi of Mars demanded, and the woman grinned eerily.

"You don't." Before the Senshi could reply, she motioned for them to follow her into the store, which, Moon looked up in curiousity, was called the Nekohanten.

The Senshi turned to stare at her.

"I don't trust her," Mars stated with finality, and Uranus nodded in agreement.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Mercury countered. "This may be our only chance at finding out how Mistress 9 has returned."

"But we don't know anything about her!" Mars half-shouted, but Mercury wouldn't back down.

"I know that Mars, but we don't have a choice in the matter. Mistress 9 already knows who we are! We need some sort of advantage to level the playing field!"

"But…" Mars started to counter, but Usagi was growing tired of all this bickering. She pushed through the door, ignoring the scattered protests.

Mercury turned to Mars, shrugged, and followed Moon into the building.

Mars' eye twitched, but she threw up her hands in disgust, and followed her erstwhile leader as well.

Jupiter and Venus walked in as well, leaving the three outers alone outside.

Uranus turned to Saturn.

"Saturn, you can stay out here if you want, and no one will think any less of you." She spoke quietly, trying to keep Saturn from delving deeper into her dark past.

But Saturn shook her head firmly, but her eyes didn't meet her parents concerned gazes.

"No, Uranus. I need to know."

She took a moment to steady herself, then walked resolutely into the building. Uranus looked at her usually more astute partner, but Neptune shrugged helplessly. Uranus nodded grimly, and then they followed Saturn into the building.

/-----------

When Usagi entered the building, she mentally prepared herself for a trap, or for anything unexpected.

However, as she looked around, her guard dropped as she stared in incredulity at the scene before her.

The Nekohanten had apparently once been a café by the looks of it, as booths took up most of the interior of the building.

However, everything now was covered in what looked like maps of the districts, and a girl about her age appeared to be concentrating so furiously on the maps that she didn't hear her or the old woman's approach into the building.

The old woman cleared her throat, and the girl jumped in surprise. She whirled around quickly, her shoulders relaxing as she caught sight of the woman.

"Cologne! Kami, you scared me." She spoke severely. She turned to Usagi, and did a double-take.

"The SAILOR SENSHI!" She turned and started to yell. "You brought the most notorious demon hunters alive here! What were you thinking! We want to save Ranma, not kill him." Usagi cringed at the tone in the girl's voice. Whoever this girl was, she didn't appear to be friendly.

The woman apparently named "Cologne" listened impassively to the girl's tirade, and then suddenly, she poked the girl. To Usagi's astonishment, rather than yelling at the older woman for poking her, the girl suddenly froze in place, her eyes darting back and forth in a furious pattern.

"One of them seems to have a personal connection to Ranma," Cologne explained impatiently. "I agreed to tell them our half of the story, and I believe they have more info on the demon that's possessed son-in-law. Now," she turned to the teenage girl. "Are you calm?"

The girl didn't move, but her eyes flicked up and down, and the woman named "Cologne" took this as a sign of agreement.

She reached down, and poked the girl in a different spot, and the girl suddenly stumbled forward, almost falling to the ground before Usagi caught her.

She shot Moon a quick look of gratitude, but then her expression faded into neutrality quickly.

She brushed her knees off, then turned to stare behind Usagi.

"You brought all of them?" She asked dryly, and Cologne _What an odd name _Usagi thought to herself as she turned to follow the girl's gaze. Seeing the rest of her Senshi standing slightly crowded together behind her, she turned back to meet the girl's gaze evenly.

"Yes, I did." Cologne replied. "Now, we'll all sit down, and you, Nabiki, can contact the others and have them call off the search temporarily."

The girl, _Nabiki _Moon reminded herself, motioned for the Senshi to sit down in two of the interconnecting booths. She stared for a few seconds, and appeared to be running through a mental checklist.

"Wait, aren't there nine of you?" she asked, and the other Senshi turned to Moon, who grimaced.

"Pluto's not here right now." She responded unhappily, and Nabiki frowned.

"Well, where is she? Unless you don't think Ranma's enough of a threat to warrant all the help we can get, in which case," her eyes narrowed. "You couldn't be more incorrect."

"I…..don't know." Moon stuttered in reply, and Nabiki's face colored in anger. However, before she could explode, Cologne gently tapped her staff against her palm, and her face resumed its normal color.

"Well, we'll just have to make do then. So, what are your girls names again?"

Moon was shocked. There were people who hadn't heard of the Sailor Senshi, defenders of Love and Justice?

"I am Sailor Moon, defender of Love and Justice." She declared proudly.

"Sailor Mercury."

"Sailor Mars."

"Sailor Venus.

"Sailor Jupiter."

"Sailor Uranus."

"Sailor Neptune."

"Sailor Saturn." Hotaru's voice was quiet as she whispered her Senshi identity, and Moon turned to glance at her worriedly.

"Ah, very good then. Just wait here while I call back our group then."

"You expect us to wait while Mistress 9 is out there killing people?" Uranus asked heatedly.

"Well, without us, your options are limited."

"Hah!" Jupiter replied. "We're more than capable of defeating Mistress 9 again."

"So," Nabiki smirked in reply. "Why didn't you earlier, then?"

Jupiter could muster no reply to that, and Nabiki nodded in triumph. "Now, just wait here, and tell Mousse over there if you want something to eat."

"Mousse?" Venus asked curiously. "Cologne, Mousse, are those names for purpose?"

"I believe she means for real." Mercury translated to the disgruntled Nabiki.

"Yes, their Chinese names are harder to pronounce, so we're going with them for now."

"Shampoo my love, you have returned to me!"

A man-shaped blur came towards Venus, and hugged her fiercely. Venus grinned slightly.

"Hi there, Tiger. How about you and me go somewhere else?"

"Venus!" Mars spoke sharply, and Venus' face fell.

"Huh?" the now recognizable man reached into his robe, and put on the thickest pair of glasses Moon had ever seen.

"You're not Shampoo!"

"Nope." Venus replied cheerfully, her good mood returning as she checked out the fine male specimen before her.

"Uh…..sorry." Mousse replied sheepishly. "My mistake. I thought you were my love." Before he could continue, Cologne rapped him sharply with her staff.

"OW!" Mousse exclaimed. "What did you do that for, you old Mummy?"

"It was for you not even knowing Shampoo's voice well enough to recognize that it wasn't her, Mister part-timer. Now get back to work."

"Oh, hold on a second." Moon paused, and looked at Mousse expectedly. "Can I get a beef ramen bowl?"

Mousse looked at Cologne, who nodded. "Sure," he replied. "I'll be right back." Having said this, he started back towards the kitchen area.

Moon turned back to the scouts, of whom Mars and Uranus were shooting her disapproving glares.

"What?" she asked. "She offered, I asked." She turned to Cologne, who nodded sagely.

"Yes, any demon hunter is a friend of the Amazon Tribe." She replied, and Moon nodded in satisfaction.

"Do excuse me for a second." Nabiki drawled with a slight hint of sarcasm, and sauntered off outside the café.

Moon looked at her curiously as she left.

"Does she have a problem with us or something?" she asked, and the rest of the Senshi shrugged. Cologne shook her head as well.

"Not to my knowledge." She thought for a moment. "There are several possiblities. This bodes ill. We all must work together if we are to defeat Son-in-law."

"Excuse me," Mercury interjected. "Why do you call this…..Ranma Saotome your son-in-law?"

"Ah," Cologne cackled. "He is betrothed to my great grand-daughter, Shampoo. And after this is over, he'll see the benefits in going back with Shampoo to the tribe."

"Not if I have anything to say about it, Elder." A new voice spoke from the entrance, and the Senshi turned again to see another girl about their age, but this one had a…..spatula strapped to her back, and several smaller spatulas attached to her in bandoleer fashion.

"Ah, well, if you wish to enter into combat with Shampoo for Son-in-law's heart when this is over, be my guest." Cologne replied somewhat caustically. "We'll see how Okonomiyaki can compare to 3,000 years of Amazon tradition."

"Okonomiyaki?" Moon asked, salivating slightly at the thought.

"Yep," The girl nodded, and took a double take at the Senshi sitting down. "The Sailor Senshi. I've heard of you before, but to meet you in person….." She broke off sheepishly, as if reminded why she was at the café in the first place.

"Sorry, my name's Ukyo Kuonji. It's nice to meet you." She nodded to the Senshi, then took a seat at a nearby table.

"So, how did you get into this?" she asked, and Moon turned to stare at Saturn for a second automatically before she realized what she was doing. Uranus and Neptune noted this, and cleared their throats in unison, and Moon flinched.

"Ah, well……"

"It'd be best if we wait until everyone gets here." Neptune smoothly interjected, and Moon nodded, glad to have gotten her way out of that particular faux pas.

"Ah, okay then." Ukyo replied, her good cheer fading slightly as she was remembered once again of the reason for her being there.

"Well, the others should be getting here in a couple of minutes." Nabiki's voice came from the entrance as she walked back inside.

"Good." Cologne replied. "The sooner Son-in-Law is back, the better."

"So wait," Jupiter interjected, and turned to Ukyo. "Why did you tell Cologne that Shampoo wouldn't get married to Ranma if you had anything to say about it?"

"Oh, it's because I'm engaged to Ran-chan." Ukyo replied, and the Senshi sweatdropped slightly.

"You mean you're both engaged to him?" Moon asked, and Ukyo nodded slowly. "My claim to him is the best, though."

"Wait…." Mars had been thinking during this. "Are you Uc-chan?"

"Yeah." Ukyo replied off-handedly. "Wait," she paused. "How did you know that?"

Mars blanched slightly. "But weren't you a boy?"

"No Sugar, 100 percent woman." Ukyo assured her.

"But Ranma said you were a boy….." Mars thought out loud, and it was Ukyo's turn to blanch.

"You're not…..another fiancée, are you?"  
Mars was taken aback.

"No," she replied quickly. "But I do know Ranma a little, and he did talk about you when the two of you were younger….."

"That PERVERT!" The yell came out of nowhere, and Moon turned to look at the newcomer.

This new girl was dressed simply in a fighting gi, and her short slightly bluish tinted hair caused Moon to turn to Mercury, who shrugged and shook her head, as if she had known the question that Moon would have asked. As they were talking without words, the girl continued along on her tirade.

"Not only does he stop to talk with pretty girls, he talks about his "cute" fiancée! That Jerk!"

Mars stood up suddenly.

"Who are you that you can say that about Ranma!"

The girl turned to glower at her, and Moon could swear she saw faint traces of bluish energy around the girl. She turned to Mercury again, but the arguably most intelligent Senshi already had her computer out, and was scanning said girl.

"Mars, she's using life energy." Mars turned to stare at Mercury.

"You mean she's a youma?"

"No, I don't believe so. I've read that martial artists can sometimes manipulate their life force, or their "ki", to reinforce their physical attributes, which is what this girl is doing."

"Still, Ranma's had enough crap in his life!" Mars shouted, which caused the new girl's ki to expand higher.

"Hah! That pervert probably deserved it!" She spoke with a superior tone, and Mars teeth ground as she prepared a Fire Soul.

"Little Sister, knock it off!" Nabiki shouted suddenly, and the girl's aura deflated as quickly as it had expanded. Mars also quickly dispersed her fire soul after a glare from Moon.

"But Nabiki…." The girl pleaded, but Nabiki shook her head.

"They're on our side, Akane. Besides, I want to know just how Sailor Mars here knows Ranma."

Mars shrugged. "I met him a while ago. I didn't hear about any of you, so I'm assuming it was before he got…..say, where are we anyways?"

"Nerima district." Nabiki replied as she wrote quickly into a notebook. "Wait, how long ago did you meet Ranma?"

Mars thought for a second. "I guess it would be…..over a year now."

"And did you ever talk with him after that?" Nabiki asked, and Mars shook her head. "I see. Well, I can fill you in, but it'll cost you….." Cologne tapped her staff on the floor, and Nabiki grimaced.

"Sorry, force of habit. I'll fill you in while we're waiting for everyone else to arrive."

While Akane took a seat on the other side of the booth Nabiki was sitting on, Mousse came out of the kitchen.

"One Beef Ramen bowl." He announced, and Moon was next to him before he could finish his sentence. He blinked several times, and handed the bowl to her. She nodded gratefully, then began to eat at her normal pace, until Mars whacked her over the back of her head.

"Eat slower, Meatba…er, Moon!" She scolded, and Nabiki chuckled. "What?" Mars asked, and Nabiki nodded in Moon's direction.

"Don't worry about it. Ranma's…..well, he was worse."

"You must be jesting," Mercury asked, her eyebrow raised, and Akane shook her head.

"Nope, Ranma was a lot worse…..that jerk…….." She sniffed, and Moon turned to see what could have been……tears? But before she could check, Akane wiped her face angrily, and Moon couldn't tell. She shrugged, and returned to her food.

"Well…" Nabiki started to speak, and the Senshi listened intently as she started to go into some of the more memorable moments of chaos that had been injected into their daily lives once Ranma Saotome and his father arrived in Nerima.

/ --------

After about 15 minutes and 2 more beef bowls, the Senshi stared incredulously at Nabiki.

"So, you're telling me Ranma has at least 4 fiancées?" Jupiter asked.

"And he's got several rivals out to kill him?" Venus pitched in.

"Is his father really that stupid?" Mars groused. Apparently, Ranma had skipped out on some things when he had told her about his life.

"And Ranma has a…curse that lets him switch forms?" Mercury put forth her own question.

"And was the wedding the first time the curse was….different?" The rest of the Senshi turned to Saturn, who had finally spoken for the first time since entering the café.

"Yes, yes, his father is at least that stupid, yes, and yes." Nabiki answered.

"Is Ranma the only one with such a curse?" Moon asked, and Nabiki shook her head.

"No, there's Mousse, Shampoo, Panythose Taro..." Nabiki saw the expressions in the Senshi's eyes, and shrugged. "Don't ask." She premptively answered their question, and continued listing off Jusenkyo cursed victims. "There's Herb, and..." Nabiki trailed off. "That's all, I think...Oh!" She turned to face the Senshi. "You did meet Ryoga, though, right?"

"Yes," Cologne quickly interjected, and turned to the Senshi. "He was the one whom Ranma was fighting before I showed up."

"But wasn't he?" Moon started to ask, but Cologne motioned with her finger to her lips for silence, and Usagi nervously complied.

"Certainly they must not all turn into girls?" Neptune queried.

"No, each has fallen into a different spring." Nabiki answered, and turned towards the kitchen. "Hey Mousse!" She yelled. "Come out here!"

Mousse did come out, his expression puzzled.

"Yes Nabiki?" he asked, but instead of replying, Nabiki threw a nearby cup of water at him. Mousse shouted, but as soon as the water hit him, instead of a teenage boy, there was a duck wearing the same type of glasses that Mousse had just been wearing.

"Whoa!" Venus spoke for all of the Senshi. "Where'd the hunk go?"

The duck squawked, waddled around a nearby booth. As Moon watched, it reached around itself, and somehow, it came back with a glass of warm tea in its beak. Pouring it over itself, suddenly, Mousse was back. Moon turned away quickly, not expecting the….flesh that had suddenly reasserted itself.

Mercury, who had been recording the transformation with her Mercury Computer, seemed to be fascinated by the results that were revealing themselves to her.

"Interesting…." She thought out loud. "It appears to be based off the same type of Magic that was located in the pit of chaos where you fought Galaxia….."

Moon started. "But I neutralized Chaos..." She spoke quickly.

"Yes," Mercury agreed. "But perhaps before you did so, somehow, it manifested itself in the…." She broke off, trying to recall the location.

"Jusenkyo." Cologne replied. "However," she continued. "The pools of sorrow have been in existence for well over 3,000 years."

Mercury frowned in concentration. "But that would mean that Chaos has been around for far longer that I thought…"

"Galaxia said….she said that Chaos always has, and always will exist…." Usagi spoke softly, her own demons coming into play as she remembered the brutal fights against the other Senshi.

The Inner Senshi surrounded her, and she shook off her own demons. Hotaru needed them more then she did at the moment.

"Mousse," Mercury then turned to the duck-cursed boy. "Am I correct in assuming you wouldn't want to keep your curse?"

"YES!" Mousse shouted, and had to be temporarily contained by Cologne. After settling down a little, he turned to Mercury.

"You have a cure?" He asked eagerly. "Where is it? I'll do anything!"

Mercury appeared a bit perturbed by his enthusiasm, and turned to Moon.

"Moon, his "curse" as it seems, appears to actually drain his life energy slowly."

"WHAT!" Mousse shouted, and Cologne rapped him on the head with her staff again.

"This is a rather interesting conclusion, Mercury-san. Are you sure?"

Mercury nodded her hair emphatically. "Yes, it's draining only a minute portion of his total life force, which he probably hasn't detected due to the fact that I'm sensing he has a much higher than average life force energy, which may be why he happened to get cursed in the first place."

"But that would mean…" Cologne broke off, thinking. "My great granddaughter has been cursed as well." She finally stated. "But that was done as punishment…..And the Musk have been using animals as victims for the pools as well……" She turned to Mercury. "What purpose would animals have for any life energy? Humans are much higher…."

Mercury was furiously typing into her computer.

"Hm, it wouldn't make sense, since animals do indeed have less energy..." Mercury thought out loud. "Perhaps..."She broke off again, then turned to Moon. "I need to see the pools and scan them with the Mercury computer before I can make any definitive conclusions."

"But it would take days to get there!" Mousse cried sadly. He wanted to get rid of his curse, but he didn't want to leave his true love alone with a demon-possessed Ranma for it.

"Moon, can you teleport us there?" Mars asked. If this information about Jusenkyo was true, it was no wonder she couldn't find a cure for Ranma back when he had asked her before she became a Senshi.

But Moon appeared to be indecisive.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I've never tried with this many people before."

"We can pool our powers." Saturn offered somewhat timidly, and Moon turned to study the youngest Senshi.

"Saturn, are you sure that's wise?" Mercury interjected. "I'm not certain of just what possible effects Mistress 9 could have had in your system. You may end up reverting to your previous frail state. You should probably should conserve your..."

Saturn was scowling, and Mercury flinched as the stare was directed at her.

"I'm fine," Saturn spoke with finality. "Let's do it."

Moon nodded uncertainly.

"All right, everyone." She spoke. "Place your hands over mine."

The Senshi did so, and so did Cologne and Mousse.

Moon stared at the withered hand placed on hers.

"Are you sure, Cologne-san?" The old woman nodded.

"I have to see if a cure exists for Shampoo." Cologne stopped, then added, "I may be able to get the council to release her punishment if Jusenkyo was or possibly may still be providing energy for an evil force."

She turned to Mousse.

"If you can teleport us there, Shampoo should be safe for an hour or so..." Mousse stated surely, and Moon could do naught but nod.

She turned to the remaining two, who hadn't moved.

"We'll stay here and wait for your return." Nabiki spoke for both of them. "Besides, someone will need to keep the others here and inform them on what's happening."

"All right," Moon nodded in confirmation. "Everyone, concentrate!"

The Senshi closed their eyes in concentration, and Moon could feel the power flowing into her from all of the Senshi.

"All right, everyone." She spoke. "Here we go!"

She thought of what she had heard from the descriptions from Cologne, and concentrated on them. From her brooch, the Ginzuishou shone with a brilliant light, and suddenly, after Nabiki and Akane blinked to clear their eyes, no trace of either the Senshi or members of the Amazon tribe remained.

Nabiki stretched slowly, and turned on the local television to see if any breaking news was being reported, while Akane grumbled about perverts in short skirts, and waited impatiently for the Senshi to return.

/ --------

A violet-haired woman scanned her nearby surroundings slowly, and after seemingly finding what she had been looking for, she made her way up to an abandoned warehouse.

As she approached the door, a man with muscles that bulged out like steel plates suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Excuse me, miss." He rumbled. "I believe you've gotten lost. You should probably turn around, and go back home."

The woman smirked in reply, and continued her walk towards the warehouse.

However, as she reached the door next to the loading dock, the man put his fist on her arm.

"I said you should turn around now, darling." The man spoke, his voice menacing. "It's not safe for a woman to be around these parts." He paused. "Unless you wanted to see some…..action." He flexed his muscles in a futile attempt to seem appealing.

"You can let go of my shoulder now, dirt bag." The woman shot back in reply, the smirk never leaving her face. "I'm here to compete."

"You!" the musclehead guffawed. "Sweetheart, I can judge fighters, and you don't have any type of skills whatsoever."

"So, do I need to convince you then?" The woman replied, her smirk taking on a slightly more sinister edge.

"Baby, if you can get past me, I'll not only let you in, I'll sign you up myself, and pay for it too." The man bragged, sure he would be able to overpower some naïve slip of a woman from besting him in combat.

The woman didn't reply, at least, not verbally, and the thug took this as a sign that she was too cowered to resist. He started to place his hand further down on her shoulder.

Suddenly, the woman moved. She placed her hand on his own, and as the man grinned, twisted it behind her with startling force.

The man grimaced as tendons and ligaments tore, and his mouth snapped shut with an audible click, attempting to concentrate past the pain. The woman noted this, and moved her hand down to his wrist, and squeezed. The man finally let loose a scream of pain as an unbelievable amount of pressure made itself known on his wrist, until with a sickening "snap", it fell to down to his side at an unnatural angle as the woman released her hold.

Her eyes were full of dark mirth, and she knelt down next to him and spoke condescendingly.

"So, I believe you said you would pay for my entry, then?"

The erstwhile bouncer said nothing, his mouth again pressed shut, lips turning white from the pressure of containing his sounds. The woman shrugged, and stood. She brushed the dust off her pants, and continued her way into the warehouse, the confident expression never leaving her face. As she entered the warehouse, the man shuddered, and his face emotionless, he began walking awkwardly into the warehouse after her.

A/N

So, another chapter (hopefully) completed.

The Senshi are off to Jusenkyo to see if a cure is possible, (besides the Nannichuan, which will be explained in the next chapter)

Akane and Nabiki are waiting for the rest of the NWC to arrive, as well as waiting for the Senshi and Cologne and Mousse to return.

And a "Certain Someone" appears to be entering into combat at an abandoned warehouse for some unknown reason…..

I'm not sure about the meeting of the Senshi and some of the NWC, so let me know if you can think of anything in particular that seems off….

As always, any C&C would be greatly appreciated.

Again, special thanks to everyone at Fukufics for all the informative replies in my various Research questions. Especially to DCG for the fighting pit suggestion, even if I'm probably going to end up using it a bit different than he originally suggested.

Later,  
MV


	5. Confrontation

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off this work of FICTION.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

_**Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.**_

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Sailor Moon, defender of love and justice, leader of the Sailor Senshi, and future Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, winced as she suddenly fell to the ground from several feet in the air, barely landing on her feet, and she steadied herself with a nearby……..bamboo pole?

She glanced around, trying to recall what she had been doing…..

_Oh, yes…._ she thought to herself…. _We were going to check out come cursed pools Mercury wanted to look at…_

She glanced around as her thoughts died out, blonde hair swaying as she turned to look for the other Senshi and the elder Cologne and Mousse.

She sighed in relief as she saw that everyone was there and unharmed.

"Smooth move, Moon!" Mars exclaimed angrily from where she was leaning against Jupiter for support, having almost fallen into a puddle. "I thought you said you could teleport us to Jusenkyo!"

Moon shied away from Mars' glare.

"It's not my fault!" She cried. "This should be it….." She broke off as Cologne began hopping towards the underbrush. "Elder?" She queried.

Cologne, however, did not respond, but continued as she disappeared into the brush.

Moon turned to Mercury, who was typing furiously into the Mercury Computer. Mercury stopped as she felt Moon's gaze on her. She looked up, and nodded to Moon.

"This is the right place," she confirmed. "I'm getting chaos readings from……that direction."

She pointed in the direction Cologne had taken, and Moon shrugged, and followed Mercury into the wilderness, followed by the rest of the Senshi and Mousse, who had remained silent after being teleported.

After several minutes of searching through the brush, Mercury sighed in frustration.

"This isn't right…" she muttered to herself.

Her computer was normally at least somewhat effective in detecting energy signatures and pinpointing them. However, her computer's findings would suddenly shift from place to place, forcing her to triangulate her readings and hope for the best.

She heard a sigh, and turned to see Jupiter's weary expression as the brunette Senshi turned to face her.

"Mercury, are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes, I'm certain," Mercury replied in a strong tone, although internally, she was wondering about that herself.

"Yes, we're in the right direction."

Mercury's head turned to see Mousse, whom had just spoken. The young man seemed troubled, as if he had received a revelation of sorts. He turned to Mercury.

"Follow me." He spoke softly, and suddenly leapt into the trees and continued at a startling pace.

Mercury turned to Moon, who nodded. Without another word, the Senshi leapt after Mousse, following him deeper into the wilderness.

They were hard-pressed to keep up with the Chinese boy, who appeared to be running as if the hounds of hell were after him.

This speed went on for about another minute, before Mousse suddenly stopped at the edge of a clearing, where Cologne was already present.

The Senshi dropped down to where the two were standing, fukus fluttering as their owners fell down to earth.

Moon frowned as she fell, glancing around after a sudden chill made itself known by running down her spine.

"Something feels…….wrong." She spoke with certainty, and turned to Mercury, whose visor was flashing with data as she looked down at the Mercury computer. After a few moments, Mercury looked up to her, and nodded.

"There's definitely chaos energy here," she spoke quietly. "Almost as much as when you fought Galaxia….."

Cologne ceased her observations of the surrounding pools, and hopped over to the Senshi.

"Are you certain?" She asked quickly, and Mercury nodded emphatically.

"Definitely. Although…." She broke off, staring as more data sifted across her visor, and frowned. "It seems to be in a state of constant flux."

"Which means?" Uranus asked, and the short-blue haired senshi's face turned a slight crimson from embarrassment.

"It means…." She began to reply, but the Elder of the Amazons interjected before she could continue.

"It means that the energy is growing and falling…." Cologne turned to Mercury. "Mercury-san, is there a pattern to this?

Mercury's eyes flew back in forth as she scanned the data.

"Yes," she reported after a few moments. "It seems to increase and decrease in a constant pattern…..almost as if it were….." she broke off, thinking.

"Breathing?" Moon offered timidly, and turned to Mars, fearing another outburst. However, as she caught a glimpse of the dark-haired Senshi, she knew something was wrong.

Mars was standing absolutely still, her eyes closed, as if in deep meditation. Venus made as if to get her attention, but Jupiter grabbed the blonde's hand before it could make contact. As the rest of the Senshi watched in fascination, Mars' brow creased, and she began to mutter.

"No….." she whispered loudly. "No more…..I can't……so dark…….." Her eyes shot open, and she stared furiously towards the still waters. "NO!" She cried, and made as if to leap into the water as the Senshi watched in horror.

Fortunately for them, Colonge was unaffected by the display, and quickly stopped Mars from entering one of the nearby pools. Mars merely lay there, desperation clear on her features, even as she outstretched one hand towards the waters.

"Mars!" The rest of the Senshi rushed over, and Moon noticed the expression on Mars' face change back to one more customary for the fiery soldier.

Mars grimaced, and shook her head as if to clear it.

"Can you get off of me now?" She asked, and Cologne removed the pressure she had been applying with her staff. Mars sighed, and pushed herself back up with her hands, brushing off her bare legs while standing up.

"Mars, what happened?" Moon asked worriedly. She had seen some odd things while in Senshi form, but this, while not as extravagant as many, was even weirder than most. Normally, Mars was one of the most stoic and reliable Senshi. To see her suddenly slip into some form of possession was just……odd.

Mars frowned as she deepened in thought.

"It was almost like an……echo," she finally responded quietly. "Something dark……and primal."

"Did it feel like a person?" Cologne asked, and Mars shook her head in a wordless response.

"It couldn't have been……it was just...raw emotions. There's no way….." Cologne frowned at the additional information.

"Odd…..has the presence disappeared?"

"Yes, whatever it is, it's gone now."

Moon was still uneasy, but she now felt the dark presence growing beyond what it had been previously.

"Everyone behind me," She ordered in a no-nonsense voice, and the senshi, unused to the voice of command, quickly complied, followed by the Amazon Elder and Mousse. "It's coming."

Even as she spoke, a low rumble could be heard throughout the area, and the surrounding background noises trailed off to nothingness.

Moon materialized the Ginzuishou, and readied herself for what she knew wouldn't be an easy battle.

"Get ready….." she whispered to her Senshi, and with a roar that shook the very earth around her, a monster appeared out of the underbrush.

Whatever this monster was, it was huge. It had the body of an ox with dark blue fur, tiny wings that seemed absurdly out of place on the huge beast, and while it had hooves for feet, two huge arms adorned it's torso. And it's tail was…..an eel?

Moon wasted no time. Galaxia had been a lesson in more ways then one for her, and without warning, she focused all of her energy on the diamond in her hands, and cried out, "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

Silver energy raced towards the beast, and Moon held her breath, wondering if it would work even as Cologne shouted something that she didn't catch.

The monster turned up to look at her at her shout, but it was too late for the beast to dodge. With a grunt, it went flying backwards back through the underbrush, and Moon leapt after it, hoping her attack had succeeded in loosening the demon's grip on the human host she had felt. She felt the other Senshi follow behind her, and noted Cologne's voice had gotten louder, even as the Elder put on a sudden burst of speed, and leapt past her, ignoring her shouted call of, "Wait!"

However, the Elder did not hear her cry, and Moon increased her pace, hoping that she would still be in time to save the old woman if the demon was still in control. She leaped over a broken tree, and skidded to a halt at the sight that lay before her.

The demon was gone, and Cologne stood on her staff, looking at a handsome young man dressed in Chinese pants and what appeared to a shirt made of some form of scales….

Moon turned to Cologne, who looked to be monitoring the young man's condition.

"Is he okay?" She asked quietly. "I thought he was a demon…"

"He is…of sorts." Was the reply. "This is Pantyhose Tarou, the one I told you about."

"Ooh…" Venus called out appreciatively. "Why such a funny name for such a hunk?"

"I wouldn't ever call him Pantyhose to his face" Cologne warned sternly. "He gets rather…..upset."

She looked down at the unconscious fighter neutrally.

Mercury suddenly looked up from her computer.

"He's cursed, correct?"

Cologne nodded in affirmation, and Mercury stared at her computer.

"Well, according to my scans, his chaotic energy is dropping at an increasing rate. It looks like Sailor Moon's attack has neutralized his so-called curse."

Mousse, at the prospect of having his curse removed, interrupted the conversation urgently.

"Sailor Moon, can you fix my curse as well?" He asked eagerly.

"I think so...," Moon replied nervously. She'd healed people before, but she wasn't exactly sure how her Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss had somehow neutralized the chaotic energy within Tarou.

She materialized the Ginzuishou once more, and concentrated on Mousse. She concentrated, and this time, there was no explosion of light, only a glowing light that slowly poured out of the crystal, and descended onto Mousse, bathing him in a light silver glow.

After a few moments, the light dematerialized, and Moon wavered at the loss of energy she had expended. Mousse on the other hand, looked around himself.

"I don't feel different," He continued checking himself over, his robes rustling at his movements. "Does anyone have any water?"

Neptune stepped forward, and produced a glowing ball of aquatic energy. At Mousse's nod, she tossed the ball towards him.

With a splash, Mousse became wet. Grimacing, he peeked one eye open to see whether or not he had changed.

To his mild surprise, he was still the same height, and everyone appeared to be staring at him.

To be short, Mousse was quite ecstatic.

He leaped to Sailor Moon, and hugged her profusely.

"Thank you Thank you Thank you!" He cried happily, so happily, in fact, that he didn't care that it wasn't Moon he was glomping.

"Um, I'm over here." Moon spoke timidly, noticing a large tick developing on Uranus' forehead.

Mousse flipped out his glasses, and immediately, he saw the face of a quite irate Sailor Uranus staring back at him.

"Off," was all she said, and Mousse hastened to comply.

"Sorry," he muttered, embarrassed. Uranus made no verbal reply, though her glare suggested that if Mousse hadn't complied, much bodily harm would have quickly ensued to his person.

Saturn noticed Moon's condition first.

"Sailor Moon," she spoke softly, aware that everyone had turned to look at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm….fine." was the reply, right before the leader of the Senshi wobbled, and sunk down to the floor.

The other Senshi were instantly at her side, questions coming left and right.

Moon shook her head slowly, and the Senshi stopped talking.

"It's just that taking the chaos out of people after it's been in them for so long takes so much energy…I'm not sure if I can cleanse this area." She spoke faintly, upset at herself for letting her companions down.

Neptune frowned in thought.

"If we combined our powers, would that be enough?" She turned to Mercury questioningly. be," Mercury replied hesitantly. "My results are positive, but we'd have to wait for the right time in the fluctuation sequence of the chaos to attempt it."

Mars nodded in agreement.

"We've done it before," she stated with utter certainty, and the Senshi nodded in agreement.

"But, what if I screw up or something goes wrong or…." Moon's protest was cut off by a slightly smiling Saturn.

"We believe in you, Sailor Moon," She whispered, and Moon's expression lifted as she realized that her Senshi truly did believe she could do this.

"All right," she accepted Jupiter's open hand, and pulled herself to her feet. "Let's go."

She lead the Senshi back to the pools of Jusenkyo, and stood at the edge. However, Cologne had stopped halfway back, and Uranus and Neptune surreptitiously doubled back to check on her.

"Odd, though" Cologne noted. "The guide is not here. Most unusual…."

"Do you think he's an agent of chaos?" Uranus asked, her recent encounter with Mistress 9 still fresh in her mind.

"I don't think so," Cologne replied slowly. "I've never heard of him or his daughter being cursed….."

"Could be a disguise. Where was he last seeen?"

"To my knowledge, it would be when we visited Jusendo….but he should be here…."

"Shouldn't we ask him if he knows anything about the chaos, then?" asked Neptune, her finger tapping her other arm betraying her otherwise calm demeanor.

"It is a possibility we must consider."

"We must stay on our guard then."

"Agreed."

With this, the two outer Senshi and an Elder of the Amazons continued after their companions back towards the pool towards the daunting task that lay before them.

Somewhere in Tokyo, a violet haired woman could be seen making her way into an abandoned warehouse, followed slowly be a hulking brute of a man that has muscles that most would consider to be inhuman.

The woman didn't look back at the thundering footsteps behind her as she entered the large loading dock, and entered a hallway that lead deeper into the building.

Suddenly, two more men materialized from side doors, each different looking from each other and the man whom was still following her.

The man on the left leered at her, his movements strangely animalistic, his fingers curved into claws.

"Well, what do we have here…" he spoke lecherously, grinning at the prospect before him.

"Looks lahkee someone's gahten lawst, mahn." the other man agreed, his dreadlocks and Jamaican style cap betraying his nationality if his drawl hadn't, hair swaying as he accompanied his fellow up to the violet woman, who had stopped as soon as she saw the two new figures, and had crossed her arms, staring at the two men with one eyebrow raised.

"I suppose you're more of the same, then." She spoke emotionlessly.

"Tha's right," the man on her right nodded as he stopped several paces in front of her. "We can't just le' any ahl womahn in heah."

"And if I said I beat up this pathetic oaf?" The woman jerked her head back to the emotionless man behind her, who had stopped when she did.

"Ah, and what happened to you, my brother?" asked the animalistic man, his gaze squared on the defeated.

The man said nothing, merely continued holding his mangled arm.

The animalistic man shook his head sadly.

"She beat you that easily? I suppose she may be worthy of further testing after all…" He turned to the violet haired woman, on whom a smirk had slowly developed. "Follow me."

"As long as you don't take too long," she spoke mockingly, and followed the two men in exiting through the swiveling door at the end of the hallway, her eyes widening a fraction at the sight she saw before her.

She must have walked into the middle of the warehouse, but although there were various crates scattered around the interior walls, the middle of the room had been cleared, and a vast stone layer lay squarely in the middle.

She watched as two odd looking men battled their way back and forth on the ring, a strangely sturdy man absorbing blows from a man who seemed to seemed to dodge like the wind when the bigger man tried to hit him.

She glanced around, seeing more men of various ethnicities, all of them oddly dressed and oddly proportioned……

She turned back to the two men she had followed, her gait slow and sure as she stood over the two men by a few inches.

"So, is this what I think it is?"

As soon as she had spoken, all other movement in the room stopped, and the individuals turned as one to look at her in unison.

She smirked back in response, noting the lack of response to her assured demeanor.

"Yes, little girl." She turned back to see the animalistic man glaring at her in the way a lion is apt to look at a lame zebra. He grinned, showing pointed teeth. "Unfortunately, you've been……misled."

"Oh? And how is that?"

"You thought this was a fighting ring, and in a sense, one could say it's the truth." The man spoke fluently, his intelligent speech strongly contrasting his increasingly deranged facial expressions.

"Sorrah to say, womahn, but dis ain't no fightin' ring." The man in dreadlocks continued.

"It's not?" the woman replied in a mocking tone, her smirk deepening, no amusement extending to her eyes even as she lowered her hands to her sides, seemingly casual despite the menacing postures of the men in front of her

"No." the voice came from behind her, and she turned slightly to face the man she had injured earlier.

His voice became deeper as he walked past her, and turned once he had reached the line with the rest of the occupants.

"You see, we manage to stay underground, which tends to attract the better fighters, such as yourself. Plus…" he broke off, and with a startling twist, his wrist was back in place. Breaking his emotionless mask with a menacing grin, he flexed his arm, and cracked his knuckles.

"With the underground nature of this place, no one ever quite knows why some fighters just happen to disappear every so often……"

"And what…" came the even reply. "happens to those fighters who just happen to disappear?"

The muscled man's image seemed to shift suddenly, his muscles bulging out even more, as the animalistic man let out a shrill howl, and crouched down to all fours, hair covering his body, as the third began swaying back and forth, dreadlocks swaying as a pair of rhythmic drums appeared.

Behind them, each men grinned, and transformed into some form of inhuman monster. The sturdy man's body became covered with rock armor, and what looked like paper fans appearing on his former opponent's arms. And so it continued, until the whole room was full of otherworldly creatures.

The woman's smirk left her face, and she remained still, even as the beasts advanced on her, forming a large circle as if to entrap her.

"May I have the name of those who would kill me?" she asked, no fear or anger showing through her expression, violet hair swaying gently in the small breeze created by the fan creature's movement.

"We are….." the beast-man spoke before crouching. With a sudden jump, he leapt towards the woman, roaring, "DAIMONS!"

"As I'd thought."

The daimon's jump continued, its claws glowing strangely as it attempted to eviscerate its victim.

Suddenly, it found itself flying backwards through the air, and collapsed into the now immensely muscular man, both of them landing in a heap on the floor.

"Get off me!" the man yelled, and with a grunt, he threw the beast-man away from him. Scrambling to his feet, he charged the woman, yelling, "I went easy on you before, but now I see that your heart will provide an excellent power source!"

As he continued towards the woman, he idly wondered why the woman hadn't already run away, dismissing it instantly, figuring she must be paralyzed by fear.

As he approached the woman, he noticed that her hair was…..moving?

Suddenly, he found a sharp pain emanating from his chest.

When he looked down, to his utter surprise, a single strand of hair had brushed up against his torso. He tried to brush it away, but when he did so, the pain suddenly intensified even as he yanked the string out in frustration, noting idly that it was much longer than it should have been.

Suddenly with a scream, he dissolved, and when the smoke had cleared, a plastic muscle remained, along with a small pink egg that suddenly broke, a small black mist escaping before the egg itself disappeared.

The beast-man had been watching the proceedings with interest that now turned to hate. That had been a fellow daimon! Like it or not, they were the same.

With a roar, again he leapt towards the woman, even as the drum rang out, visible shock waves heading straight towards their intended target.  
The woman barely moved. With a quick sidestep, she was outside the target zone of the shock waves, and even as they continued into several more daimons, destroying them, she had prepared herself for the landing that would now just miss her.

The beast landed, and was instantly lunging towards her with his fierce claws. She grinned, and her stance shifted from that of no knowledge to that of advanced defense. With a howl, the beast lunged at her, swiping it's claws madly in an attempt to connect.

It was as if he was trying to hit a fly.

The woman effortlessly dodged several of his first strikes before grabbing his hand just before it could connect.

"Bad little beast. What manner of creature are you, to be this pitiful?"

"I'm a lion!" the beast growled in a low tone, straining to finish his blow.

"And that's supposed to frighten me?" the woman asked, her grip tightening around the beast's paw, and the lion let out a yelp of pain as his appendage began to give.

"I'm the fiercest of the big cats!" he cried in desperation, and suddenly found himself falling to the ground as the woman had suddenly vanished. He looked around fiercely, trying to decipher where the woman had gone.

"C….c…cat?"

He turned up to the rafter, where the woman's smirk had died, leaving in it's place what could only be described as utter terror. He smirked. For some reason, she was afraid of cats, and that would make the kill so much sweeter. He nodded to his fellow, and shock waves rang out, destroying the support beam the woman was quivering on, and she fell to the floor, barely landing on her feet. Instantly, she was on another beam.

"Stay away!" she cried pitifully, scrabbling farther back into the recesses of the darkness, and the lion roared in amusement, his fellows echoing him in their own disturbing tones of mockery. The tables had turned for whatever reason, and their next meal would be any second now. He launched several energy claws from his hands, laughing in amusement as the woman barely dodged, his claws instead finding one of the few lights.

"Stand still and die!" He cried, his amusement quickly turning to frustration as the woman continued to avoid the attacks thrown at her, and more and more lights were going out. At this rate, there wouldn't be any left to see her with, and his beast powers did not extend to night vision.

The woman continued to run along the girders, even as the last few lights were blown out.

With the shattering of the breaking of glass, the room was plunged into darkness, the few skylights having long ago been boarded.

The lion yelled in frustration.

"Where is she?!" He screamed, and his cries were echoed by the other daimons.

"Right here."

Even as the beast turned, he knew he was too late.

As his body rotated, all he saw was a dark swirling ball of blackish violet energy growing in the darkness. He looked up, and two twin glowing violet lights were the last thing he saw. The wave of energy launched, and he knew no more.

Sailor Moon turned back, wondering where two of her outer Senshi had gone.

Her head stopped its rotation, however, when she saw the two missing Senshi heading back up the path towards the group.

"Something keep you?" Mars enquired a bit caustically.

"Just a question for the Elder." Uranus replied in the same tone. "Now, let's get this done."

Mercury stepped forward toward the portal, ignoring Mars and Uranus' glaring at each other.

"According to my calculations," she spoke in a quiet tone. "With our current power output, we'll have to attack at the specific time the energy fluctuation is at its lowest."

"When is that?" Venus asked, her role as leader of the Inner Senshi asserting itself.

"In approximately," Mercury looked back at the computer. "5 minutes."

"5 minutes?!" Jupiter cried in alarm. "That's too soon! We're not sure if this is even the right thing to do…" She broke off, noticing Neptune's glare.

Shrinking back, she turned to face Mercury.

"Mercury, how long till the next low point?"

"I can't be certain, but hypothetically speaking, it would be approximately……30 minutes."

"Why don't we just wait until then?" Jupiter turned to Moon. "We don't even know if this is the right source of chaos…"

"No," Uranus interjected. "We know the curses are based off chaos, right?"

Jupiter nodded unwillingly.

"And," Uranus continued. "We know the curses come from here due to several sources, correct?"

Jupiter nodded again, biting her lip in frustration.

"And we know that…" Uranus glanced at Saturn. "Mistress 9 has a Jusenkyo curse as well, true?"

She turned to Mars, who nodded absentmindedly. Uranus wanted to know what was on the fire Senshi's mind, but she continued with her reasoning.

"So…we could be hampering her greatest advantage if we destroy the pools. We could destroy her ability to become Mistress 9, which could in fact free this Saotome from her clutches."

She nodded, pleased at her sound reasoning.

Moon had only been able to partially follow the conversation, and turned to Mercury to see her thoughts on the matter.

Mercury shrugged, and nodded slowly. She had found no holes in Uranus' theory, and even if there were, this much of a concentration of chaos would eventually become its own evil.

Her fears having been assuaged by Mercury's reassurance, Moon turned towards the pool.

"We're going to do it." She stated with finality.

She turned to the Senshi.

"Everyone, we don't have a lot of time left." She materialized the Ginzuishou once more with a flourish of silver light. "Please, lend me your power!"

The inner Senshi immediately placed their hands on Moon's, followed by the outers, and the silver glow grew until it was so bright Cologne and Mousse averted their eyes out of necessity.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6…" Mercury counted out the time when they would release their energy. "5, 4, 3, 2,….Now, Sailor Moon!"

A clear shout rang out.

"Silver Moon Crystal Eternal Power!"

The glow burst form its containment, and all went white.

Hotaru Tomoe woke up with a sudden gasp, looking around wildly.

With a start, she noticed she was in her room, the familiar setting reassuring her.

She peered out the window, seeing the glow of the full moon against the backdrop of the night sky.

"But…" She spoke out loud. "I was with Sailor Moon and the others…"

She pulled her covers aside, and walked out of her room, her destination the Haruka and Michiru's room.

"Michiru-mama? Haruka-papa?" She spoke with the merest hint of urgency.

No one was in the room, however, and the door Setsuna's room down the hall was open, showing her that no one was present there either.

"Mama? Papa?" She called out louder. "Where are you?"

When no response was forthcoming, she walked down the stairs, and checked the garage to see if Haruka's car was still present.

It was, and she was puzzled even more, and moved onto the kitchen.

No one was there, nor any sign of a note telling her where her erstwhile parents had disappeared to.

She glanced around, curiosity slowly giving way to fear as she moved onto the living room.

Seeing no one there, she slipped on a pair of shoes, and exited through the rear door out towards the lawn.

She glanced around, squinting as her eye caught something moving in the dark.

Flicking on the porch lights to increase her vision, she turned to see…nothing.

All of the sudden, she felt a presence at her back.

Leaping forward instinctively, she whirled around to see her worst nightmare given form.

Mistress 9 stood before her, clothes stained with the dark red of newly spilt blood.

Hotaru had no need to ask whose blood it was, deep down, she knew full well who had been killed.

"Murderer!" She cried, and with a flourish, brought her henshin stick into existence to transform into Sailor Saturn.

After a few moments, nothing had happened.

She anxiously looked up to her Henshin stick, only to find it mysteriously absent.

Whirling around, she saw Mistress 9 tossing the object up and down in the air, with a slight smirk on her face.

"Now, now, Hotaru...you're just in time for the party, it would be a shame if it had to end early…"

Hotaru gasped as she caught sight of the sword and mirror secured in Mistress 9's sash.

"Why?…" she dropped to her knees, the will to fight draining as she truly grasped the futileness of fighting.

"Why, Hotaru?" Mistress 9's gaze grin grew sinister. Without waiting for a response, she leapt towards Hotaru, the Space Sword shining in her grasp.

Hotaru closed her eyes, and waited for the end.

"Hot……taru?...Hotaru….Hotaru!"

The violet haired girl could hear someone in the distance calling her name.

Opening her eyes slowly, she was surprised to see Moon's concerned gaze upon her.

"Wha?" she stuttered half-coherently.

"I don't know!" Moon cried worriedly. "Are you okay, Saturn?"

Hotaru shook her head to clear it. _It was only a dream _she thought to herself with relief.

Accepting Moon's outstretched hand, she turned to see the rest of the scouts, along with Cologne and Mousse, lying in various states, all appearing to be unconscious.

She turned to Moon.

"What happened?" She asked again, fighting the still vivid remnants of her dream.

"I don't know!" Moon spoke urgently. "The last thing I remember is launching my attack, and then, I felt a sudden burst of dark energy from somewhere, and that's all I remember!"

The leader of the Senshi ran over to her companions.

"Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury." She moved from one to the next, shaking them slightly.

"Uranus, Neptune!" Saturn's pleas were a bit louder, and she sighed in relief as the two Senshi began to move slightly.

Likewise, the inner Senshi appeared to be stirring, as well as the two Amazons.

"Wha…..What hit me?" Uranus muttered as she helped her partner to her feet.

"I would ask the same question." Mercury placed a hand on her head to steady herself as she fought off a sudden dizzy spell.

One by one, the various scouts rose.

"Okay, who got the last name of that helicopter that hit me?" Venus asked irritably.

"Yeah." Jupiter agreed. "Whatever it was, that hurt!"

Moon shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know." She replied morosely. "I'd never felt anything like that…"

"Could it be Mistress 9?" Rei asked.

"I don't think so…" Moon began, but Neptune cut her off.

"Actually, it's quite probable. She must've felt our proximity to her power source, and tried to take action."

"But, did the cleansing work?" Mousse asked urgently, hoping to hear that his beloved Shampoo was finally free.

Moon turned to the pools, closing her eyes in concentration as her braids stilled.

"Yes…" she nodded, and turned to the Senshi. "The pools' powers are gone."

"Yes!" Mousse cheered. "Finally, my beloved Shampoo will be mine!" A sudden rap to his head stopped his ovation.

"Excellent," Cologne removed her staff from Mousse's cranium. "Now, what do we do next?"

Suddenly, Mercury's computer beeped loudly.

She turned, and her face paled.

"There's been a discharge of dark energy back in Japan." She turned to Moon. "We've got to get back to Tokyo."

Moon nodded decisively. "Let's go."

She held out her hand, and the Senshi placed their own over hers, along with Cologne and Mousse, the latter having slung Pantyhose Tarou over his back at Cologne's insistence.

With a flourish, the pools of Jusenkyo were once again abandoned, and as such, no one saw the sudden appearance of the Jusenkyo guide from the forest, a pile of firewood in his hand.

"Oh no," he whispered, as the wood fell lifelessly from his hand. "This very, very bad……."

Face full of shock, he turned without warning, and fled back into the woods, the background noise around the pools slowly returning as the sun continued to shine.

A/N.

And the next chapter of Resurrection of the Silence is finally out. Sorry for the wait, but my workload at both school and work increased, decreasing my time immensely for an actual sitdown session. Stuff happens, but I'm sure most of you know what that's like.

Anyways, somethings's going on at Jusenkyo, and back on the home front, even stranger things are occurring...

So, the reason behind my last comment in the last chapter becomes a little clearer. I know that daimons are female (at least, I'm almost positive they all are), but there is an explanation for these one's maleness.

Also, not too sure about the Jamaican spelling for the accent, let me know if you have some suggestions.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.

Later,  
MV


	6. Appearance

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I own neither series, and have no plans to make any money off this work of FICTION.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

Thoughts

Chapter 5: Appearance

If one were to look closely in an abandoned section of a Tokyo district, they would have had to squint in order to look past the sudden bright light in order to see eight Senshi and several other passengers suddenly appear out of nowhere.

As soon as they appeared, Uranus and Neptune began searching for any obvious threats, while the inners moved in a defensive circle around Sailor Moon, Mercury's visor present as its link to the Mercury computer was activated.

"The immediate area is clear." She announced, and the Senshi relaxed slightly. Moon turned to Cologne, her expression grim.

"It'll be safer if you and Mousse go and find Nabiki and let her know what's going on." She spoke gently.

Mousse bristled in anger at the thought of being downplayed by girls who seemed to have little to no combat skills, but a rap to the head made him whirl around.

"Elder!"

"Silence." Cologne answered, her eyes focusing on nothing. "Can you not feel the power at work here?"

"Yes," Mousse agreed reluctantly. "But….."

"What does it remind you of?" the Elder interjected. Mousse frowned, trying to remember the tiniest bit of familiarity lingering in the air. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"It's…."

Cologne nodded from her perch on her staff.

"It is magic, and I do not know its origin. And most of the items needed to combat such magic for us are still at the Nekohanten. We will hurry with all haste to get them, and return as soon as we are able."

Mousse nodded unhappily. With a grunt, he re-hoisted Tarou on his shoulders, and leapt towards the nearest building. Cologne made to follow, but Jupiter's voice stopped her.

"Is there anything else you know that could help us?"

Cologne turned back to the Senshi, her posture changing to that of a world-weary old woman for a moment.

"There is not much you will be able to do at close range. Stay out of reach, and watch for the spiral."

"Spiral?" Venus asked, her head cocked, and Cologne sighed.

"It would take too much time to explain. Go! I will return shortly with reinforcements!"

She leapt without warning, and was quickly lost in the surrounding roofscape.

Moon turned at the sound of a beep emanating from the Mercury computer.

"The energy came from…." Mercury pointed to an abandoned warehouse. "There."

"Then let's go." Uranus spoke, anger clear in her voice.

"Careful…" Mercury warned, but the Uranus, followed closely by Neptune, were already on their way into the building. She sighed, and followed the rest of the Senshi.

Sailor Saturn suddenly stopped as she entered the warehouse. She shivered in sudden foreboding, but steadied herself before anyone else could notice. Something in this place **startled **her, as if she had visited this place before…..

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the Senshi walked further into the building, the sense of recent magical expenditure became more and more evident to their senses as well as the Mercury computer.

Mercury took lead, the Senshi closely following her, Saturn bringing up the rear, her sense of remembrance strangely growing as she delved farther into the structure.

Mercury led the Senshi through a series of mazelike rooms, only to stop before a door at the end of the hallway they were currently walking through, and turned to her fellow warriors for love and justice.

"The energy is coming from here." She turned back to look at Moon and Saturn, the latter looking like something was wrong. "Something amiss, Saturn?"

Saturn frowned as she returned Mercury's stare.

"I'm fine." She muttered. "Let's go."

Mercury turned to Moon, who shrugged helplessly, and, taking this as a sign to continue, she turned to the door, nodded to Uranus, who was behind her, and slammed the door open, and rushed into the room, readying herself for an attack from any angle.

However, her attempt to clear the room was quickly halted as she spotted several objects on the floor.

"Crystals?" She queried, and as she lowered her guard to take a closer look, her fellow Senshi also noticed the glittering prizes on the floor.

As Mercury attempted to pick one up, she noted that the crystal appeared to have a clean break running through its middle.

"Are these?..." Mars asked, her tone indicating she already knew the answer.

"Yes," the blue-haired genius responded. "They're daimon crystals."

"But there are so many…." Moon spoke in a hushed tone. "There must be more than a hundred of them."

"Were, you mean." Grudging admiration could be heard in the wind Senshi's voice. "They're all gone now."

As if to mock her words, a sudden movement appeared out of the corner of her eye, and even as she readied the Space Saber, what could only be a remaining daimon leapt towards the group. Even as Uranus moved, she turned to see who the beast was targeting, and to her dismay, it was Saturn, whom, despite her earlier protests to the contrary, appeared to be in the middle of a daydream.

"Saturn!" She cried, but even as she shot off a Space Sword Buster in a brilliant gold beam, she knew she would be too late.

_"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"_

Moon's voice came through startlingly clear, and the daimon was engulfed in a wave of light, but the normal sound of joy made was unmistakably absent, a howl of pain instead engulfing the Senshi, reverberating around the building as it disintegrated.

A breaking sound could be heard, and one more crystal joined the rest on the cold metal floor.

"Saturn, what's wrong with you?" Mars cried, her frustration at their inability to find Mistress 9 rearing its head. Saturn turned to her, her purple eyes widening as she took in the scene around her.

"I know this place…" she whispered loudly.

"What?!" The other Senshi shouted as one, and Saturn walked towards one of the crates. She outstretched one hand towards the wall, and pressed in. With a creaking of gears, the crates next to the wall shifted slowly, and the Senshi stared as behind the crates, what appeared to be the ruins of a onetime laboratory had obviously been.

Now, though, everything was strewn about the lab, and the only other noteworthy thing of note was a large red stain lining a person-sized cylinder in the middle of the lab.

"Saturn?" Moon asked, her voice gentle. Saturn did not respond, but walked several feet into the ruined machinery and glass, her heels clicking as she stepped over torn papers and a tangle of cords.

"This was….." She broke off, turning to her left suddenly. With a deft flick, bulbs slowly flickered on and off before stabilizing, bathing the room in a dull fluorescent light.

"Gurmatroyd's original test site."

"But I thought his lab was where this all started?" Mercury pondered out loud, not expecting a response. Glancing down at a nearby paper, she grimaced at the red staining it.

"This isn't blood," she noted after a moment.

"It's not?" Jupiter asked, her expression indicating wariness of the machinery.

"No," Neptune answered. "It's the solution from which daimons are grown, correct?"

"Yes," Saturn answered. "I can barely remember…..but I think this was…..Gurmatroyd's secondary lab."

"Looks like someone got a little upset with his work." Neptune noted dryly as she picked up a page and began reading.

"Entry 135.

I have attempted to further my experiments with Daimons with experimentation in altering the sequencing of the crystal initiators in order for the alternate sex to find out if there are any benefits. I have altered several key factors, and will report on the findings shortly. Also, Hotaru is with me, and her body appears to still be in a state of decay. I shall have to experiment with this later."

Neptune stopped as the paper became illegible, and picked up the next in the stack.

"Entry 136.

Unfortunately, the male version of the daimon will not be included in the search for the pure heart crystals.

I was successful in creating male subjects, but their behavior is unacceptable. Although they are stronger than their female counterparts, this appears to have the unexpected side effect of not following orders. One of them even attempted to harm the carrier for Mistress 9. Fortunately, she was able to dispose of him before…any harm could come to herself or her host. During this display of power, I learned several things about Mistress 9…"

Neptune broke off.

"It becomes illegible again after this."

She turned to Saturn, who appeared deep in thought.

"Saturn," she asked hesitantly. "Is this how you remember this laboratory?"

"Yes.." the youngest Senshi nodded slowly. "I think so."

Mercury's computer let out a sudden beep of urgency, and she whirled around.

"There's another sudden energy spike!" She spoke urgently. "It's still somewhere in the warehouse!"

The Senshi immediately bolted back out into the larger, more open space.

"Where is it coming from?" Jupiter yelled as she whirled around, trying to pinpoint the movement she spotted from the corner of her eye.

"It's all around us!" Mercury shouted back. "I can't pinpoint it!"

"Wait!" Mars shouted. "It's getting darker!"

The other Senshi paused as they took in what Mars had spoken. Indeed, the room was getting abnormally darker, even though it was the middle of the day.

The lights flickered once, twice, and went dark with a crackle of electricity.

Uranus unsheathed the Space Sword, and Neptune brought the Submarine Mirror, and the other Senshi followed suit, each readying their own attacks, adding what light they could to their surroundings.

Moon also followed suit with the Ginzuishou, and its silver light seemed to push back the darkness for a moment, but then the darkness seemed to wrap around the glowing silvery light, and limit its glow to the circle of Senshi.

"Saturn, can you sense her?" Uranus asked, her eyes darting around, trying to catch a hint of movement from the surrounding darkness, but heard no reply.

"Saturn?!" She yelled in desperation, and a sudden inhaling and exhaling of rapid breathing could be heard.

"No, no, no!" Saturn cried out, her voice shaky, fighting off the threat of both her recent dream and the nightmarish half-memories of the building floating up to the surface. "Stay back!"

"And why would I do that, little Hotaru?" The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, the syllables echoing from within the darkness.

"Mistress 9" Uranus hissed in absolute hate. "Show yourself." The voice chuckled, the rich soprano voice coming seemingly coming from right in front of her.

"Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus cried, and the golden beam built at the point of the Space Sword, launching into the darkness, only to dissipate harmlessly and fade into nothingness.

"Damn! Neptune, look for her in the mirror."

"There's nothing!" was the urgent response after a moment. "Just the same black star!"

"Were you really expecting it to be that easy?" The voice seemed unconcerned, though for some reason, Venus thought she detected a hint of urgency in the smooth tones.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" She shouted, and her chain leapt into the air, launching straight towards where she thought she had pinpointed the voice to.

To her surprise, the whip made contact, and the outline of a thin arm could be seen by the glow generated by the golden links of the chain.

"I've got her," she yelled as she fought to hold on to the chain. "Get her!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!" Mars launched her arrow immediately, only to have the arm held by the chain move at the last moment, dislodging both the arrow from its intended target and loosing the chain from its grip.

"No hesitation at all, Rei?" the voice appeared less calm now, and Moon thought she detected the slightest touch of mock-sadness in those words. "You must be quite upset at someone..."

"What do you want?!" She cried out, the Ginzuishou held out at arms length, as if to ward off any attack, its silver glow shining throughout the supernatural darkness.

"You know what….or more accurately,…whom I want." The voice echoed from a new spot in the darkness.

Mercury's visor suddenly flashed in warning, and the Senshi of Ice paled.

"Get down!" she yelled, and the Senshi instinctively fell to the floor, even as an unknown energy beam launched over their heads, the dark power crackling as it pierced through the glow of the Ginzuishou.

"What was that?!" Jupiter shouted angrily.

"I don't know!" Mercury cried. "It was some form of dark energy!" Jupiter growled, her brown hair fluttering as she readied her own attack.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" She yelled out her attack, and green energy shot out into the darkness, accompanied by swirls of razor sharp. "Did I get her?"

"Not even close," the voice came as if right next to her. Jupiter immediately launched into a series of rapid punches and kicks, but her attacks met only air.

"Moon, what do we do?" Venus turned to their leader. "Our attacks aren't working!"

"I don't know!" Moon cried back. "Where's Pluto?..." Her voice had quieted to a whisper, and was quiet and sad, as if she was wishing for the impossible to appear, and knew it had no chance of coming true.

"Ah." The voice suddenly interjected. "It seems those worthless martial artists are drawing near, and I've acquired what I came for. Until next time, Senshi."

The voice faded into nothingness, and even as the Senshi held their defensive formations, the darkness suddenly receded, and the lighting slowly flickered back on.

With a crash of metal on metal, the door behind the Senshi collapsed onto the floor, and Cologne hopped back into the room, a man none of the Senshi had ever seen before quickly following her.

"Where is he?" the newcomer shouted. "Where is he?!"

"He's no longer here, is he?" Cologne turned to Moon, who nodded.

"She said she sensed your presence."

"Where did he go, then?" The newcomer asked impatiently.

"We don't know!" Mars interjected furiously. "Maybe if you'd gotten here earlier…" Her voice cut off as Venus put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Hmph, not my fault you couldn't keep him busy long enough for us to get here."

"Why you?!" Uranus strained to get closer at the newcomer, only to stop as she noticed his obvious stance.

"Honored warriors of light, this is Genma Saotome, Ranma's father." Came the tired introduction from Cologne.

"Bah…not like it matters now." Genma spoke tiredly, his aggression fading away, his posture slumping.

"We'll find him," Uranus promised, and the rest of the Senshi save one nodded. Uranus turned, and saw that strangely, Saturn had still not moved from her defensive stance.

"Saturn?" The Senshi in question turned to her, her eyes showing her internal struggle.

"Why?...Why me?" She asked to no one in particular, and Moon was instantly at her side, embracing her in a firm hug.

"I promise it'll be okay, Saturn-chan." She whispered into Saturn's ear, and the girl in her arms slowly returned her hug.

After a few moments, Genma coughed loudly.

"We should return to the Nekohanten." He rumbled. "The others will meet us there."

"Very well." Cologne nodded in agreement, and turned to the Senshi. "Are any of you injured?"

"I don't think so," Moon replied, glancing around. Seeing no injuries, she nodded, and followed Genma and Cologne out of the warehouse, followed quickly by the inner Senshi and Uranus and Neptune. Taking one last glance behind her at the ruined lab still visible in the far wall, Saturn turned away, and walked quickly out of the room.

As the Senshi hopped after Cologne and Genma back towards Nerima, several blocks down, a woman awoke, and stretched, grimacing as several large cracks of protest made her body's displeasure of having rested in such a position known.

After she had stretched out, with a flourish of her hair, she began walking deeper into the alley she resided in, which lead to near total darkness. She walked into the darkness, and disappeared without a trace.

Upon arriving at the Nekohanten once more, the Senshi were mildly surprised to see not only Shampoo and Ukyo, but several other interesting looking people waiting for them. A maroon haired woman's eyes lit up as she gazed at Genma.

"Did you find him?" she asked quickly, only to sink as Genma shook his head.

"We'll get him, Aunty Nodoka." Nabiki spoke up from behind her. "Now, just what happened after you left?"

"It's a bit of a story," Moon offered, and walked inside, followed by the rest of the Senshi.

"I've got time," Nabiki countered. "Let's hear it."

"First off," Moon began. "Jusenkyo was actually the site for chaos, an evil entity I'd fought against in the past. I managed to neutralize it, and Shampoo and Genma should no longer be cursed."

"What?!?" The two individuals in question shouted.

"Great grandmother, is this true?" Shampoo asked excitedly. No more cat meant that when her Airen returned to normal, she would have a much easier time catching him.

"Yes, great granddaughter, it is the truth."

Meanwhile, Genma was dancing happily.

"Not going to be a panda, not going to be a panda…."

"But what about Ranma?" Nodoka broke in, her expression pensive. "What has happened to him?"

"We don't know," Mercury admitted solemnly. "I believe that he…er….she is still able to activate her curse due to the dark power she possesses."

"But you will be able to cure her?" Nodoka pressed, and Moon nodded slowly.

"Yes, we'll be able to help her." She stated firmly, and Nodoka's eyes began to water.

"My poor son…" She whispered, and excused herself before anyone could see the tears falling down her face.

"So, we have no idea on where he is now?" Moon turned to see Nabiki staring at her intently.

"N….no," Moon stuttered at the fierce gaze being directed her way, and turned to Mercury, who shook her head.

"I can't pick up any trace of any more dark energy." She admitted. "Until more is used, I can't track him. And Neptune, your mirror isn't working either?" After Neptune's unenthusiastic response, she turned to Cologne. "You said you had some magical artifacts, could any of those track a person?"

"Normally, yes, I do have one that could perform this task," Cologne acquiesced, her brow wrinkling. "But I am not sure if it will be able to pierce the magic Ranma currently possesses."

"Try," Nabiki urged, and Cologne nodded. Reaching into her robes, she pulled out an ancient compass.

"Where is Happosai?" She asked the compass, and it spun several times, before pointing towards the door of the Nekohanten. She groaned, and a "Hotcha!" could be heard as a diminutive shape leapt towards Uranus, only to be laid flat by Cologne's staff.

"Cologne-chan, what was that for?" The small shape stood, revealing an old man.

"Now's not the time, Happi. We're going to attempt to find Ranma."

"That is NOT Ranma!" Happosai's presence suddenly increased tenfold, and it was all Moon could do to keep from shivering.

"Fine, the demon that possesses him. Like as not, they share the same body." Happosai grumbled, but fell silent, as Akane and Ukyo re-entered the café.

"Hey, what's going on?" Akane asked, only to be quieted by Nabiki.

"I'll tell you in a sec, sis, now be quiet."

Akane, though fuming at being told what to do, complied, and the Senshi turned back to Cologne.

The Elder turned back to her compass, and set it down on a map of Tokyo that lay nearby on one of the eating booths.

"Tell me where Ranma Saotome resides." She commanded, and the compass began to spin rapidly, almost untraceable as everyone watched in rapt fascination.

After a minute of this, however, the compass was no closer to slowing down, and Happi frowned.

"Cologne, I told you, Ranma's possessed. He's not in control, that little trinket won't work!"

"Stupid pervert!" Shampoo retorted. "This is ancient artifact of the Amazons! It work fine!" Her scathing retort came to an abrupt halt when Cologne held up a hand.

"Happi may have a point." She pulled the compass of the map, and turned to the Senshi.

"Tell me, what is the name of the….demon that possesses Ranma."

"Mistress 9." Sailor Saturn whispered, and Cologne nodded, nonplussed by the girl's tone of voice. She turned back to the map, and once more placed the compass down in where the Nekohanten was encircled in bold marker.

"Tell me where the one who calls herself Mistress 9 resides." The compass again began its rotation, but it was obvious that something had changed. It began to slow down, and stopped suddenly. Cologne's gaze followed the direction in which the arrow lay, and nodded to herself. Taking out a nearby marker, she traced the line at which the compass pointed, and plucked the instrument from its place on the counter.

"It has a lock on her now, but it will only be able to trace her for the next 2 hours. We must hurry if we are to find her now." She turned to leave, only to be halted by the Senshi.

"You're going to need us," Mars stated firmly, and Cologne stared back at her for a few moments, before nodding.

"Fine. Happi, Genma, come with me."

"But what about me?!" Akane cried.

"I need the rest of you to stay here in case any more of those daimons show up." Moon perked up at this.

"Yes, and she's going to need some help. Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, stay here with them. We'll inform you immediately if we find any trace of her."

"But!..."

Uranus' sign of protest died in her throat as Moon stared at her. This was not the same air-headed girl whom she had first met.

No, Neo-Queen Serenity was growing, and the Senshi of wind recognized a commmand when she heard one.

"All right, we'll stay." She grumbled. Moon nodded, and turned back to Cologne.

"Is that all right?" She asked, and Nabiki stepped forward.

"This'll do," she spoke mainly to herself, and turned to Moon.

"Be careful." She admonished, and glared at the residents of Nerima who seemed a bit perturbed at her warning.

"We need them to get Ranma back, otherwise, it won't help us at all." The others nodded, and Akane looked around curiously.

"Where'd Ryoga go?" Nabiki looked around as well, but saw no trace of the Lost Boy.

"Damnit, he probably got lost again." She turned back to the Senshi.

"If you find him, make sure he sticks close. He'll probably show up somewhere around where you're looking for Ranma, so keep an eye out for him."

Moon nodded, and turned to follow the three experienced martial artists out of the door, Cologne with her compass taking the lead.

Akane watched them go.

"Do you really think they'll find Ranma?" She asked Nabiki, who shrugged.

"If Cologne's compass works, they should be able to bring her in with the firepower and knowledge they have, but knowing Ranma, I'm not too certain." She frowned. "But all we can do now is wait for them to contact us, so we might as well relax while we can."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Uranus shouted suddenly, smashing her fists into a nearby wall, her temper having frayed past its limit. "Your "Ranma"," she sneered, " could be out there **killing** people right now!"

"I've been watching all the news reports," Nabiki countered. "And I haven't heard any reports of mysterious deaths, otherwise, I would have informed everyone. Understood?"

Uranus bristled.

"Who do you think…" she stopped, having felt Saturn's hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Uranus, just…stop." Uranus turned back to stare at her adopted daughter, but no emotion could be seen behind Saturn's long bangs. She nodded slowly, and stepped back to return to Neptune's waiting arms. Akane watched their obviously more than platonic hug, and her eyes grew wide.

"P…p…perverts!" Nabiki sighed irritably.

"Enough, Akane. It's not our business what two obviously in-love Senshi do in their spare time…though," she continued, a mysterious glint in her eye. "How much would the papers pay for the information that two of the Sailor Senshi are lesbians?"

"Not much," Neptune countered, her expression calm. "They already know."

"But I haven't seen anything…"

"That's because we and the papers have….an understanding." Nabiki did not mistake the hidden current in Neptune's voice, and gulped slightly.

"Fine." She turned around, and turned up the volume on the nearby television, signifying a retreat from the conversation.

Akane grumbled about perverts under her breath, but walked into the back of the café, disappearing from view.

Shampoo shrugged, having seen such things before in her native lands, and Mousse, though a bit more appreciative of the scene lying before him, quickly looked away before his beloved Shampoo could unjustly develop untrue thoughts concerning his validity over that of the fie… of Ranma.

Uranus and Neptune sat down in the same side of the booth, both watching the same television, and waiting for Sailor Moon to inform them of her progress in finding the one whom had caused their daughter so much pain.

Saturn, her head still bowed, slipped into the booth besides Nodoka, who looked up, tear lines clear on her face.

"What troubles you so, child?" She asked gently. Saturn's face dipped even lower, and did not respond. Nodoka waited, and after a few moments, a small voice was heard.

"Why is this happening to me again?"

Nodoka quickly wrapped around the booth to comfort the young girl, and enveloped her in a caring hug. Idly, she wished she could have given one such to her son. Saturn stiffened, but did not resist the comforting touch.

"It's all right, I promise." She uttered with finality. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure it will be all right."

Aside to herself, she whispered. "Ranma _has_ to be all right."

Meanwhile, Nabiki suddenly turned to the kitchen.

"Akane," she called urgently, and Akane's head popped out of the back.

"What?" she replied irritably.

"Where's Kasumi?" Nabiki spoke rapidly, her eyes betraying her nervousness.

"I think she said she was going out to get some food this morning….." Akane's face paled. "She hasn't checked in at all?"

Nabiki shook her head, rummaging frantically for her walkie talkie. "Weren't you going to go with her?"

"I thought daddy was going to…" she stammered, and Nabiki's scowl deepened.

"Kasumi?!" She muttered into the phone, but static was her only answer.

"Kasumi!!" She cried once more, but her pleas were met only by the harsh whiteness of static once more.

"Damnit!" She cried, throwing the device to the floor, turning to the Senshi.

"Mousse!" She cried, and said martial artist quickly appeared, his large glasses peering through the open door.

"Yes?"

"We're going to find Kasumi. Now." Nabiki's tone left no room for argument, and the other two quickly nodded.

"I'm coming too!" Akane spoke vehemently.

"No, little sister, you're not. You're going to stay here. Understood?"

"No!" Akane shouted back. "Kasumi's in trouble, and I need to help!"

"You can help…" Nabiki replied slowly, obviously struggling to control her temper. "By staying here and calling me if you see anything. No buts, Akane. Stay. Here."

Akane's face fell, but she nodded, and walked back into the kitchen, and the angry striking of flesh on wood could soon be heard.

Uranus quickly stood.

"We're coming with as well." She spoke, turning to Neptune, who threw her a questioning glance. Uranus nodded meaningfully, and Neptune's eyes widened before she smiled in a way that would definitely not convey happiness to anyone who saw it.

"Fine." Nabiki replied distractedly. "We're going."

She quickly walked out of the Neko Hanten, followed by Mousse, Uranus and Neptune, and unbeknownst to everyone else, the feeling of dread festering inside of Saturn's consciousness was slowly growing.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Cologne followed her compass urgently, some sixth sense telling her that haste was of the utmost importance.

Happi followed close behind her, and Genma and the Senshi struggled to keep pace.

"Elder," Genma panted. "I know we have to hurry, but what will wearing ourselves out accomplish?"

Cologne turned back to face him, her expression cloudy.

"I know that you," she nodded to the Senshi, whom were all breathing heavily. "are not used to this, but I have a feeling…"

"Feeling?" Genma scoffed. "I sense nothing." He snorted, only to fall into the Crouch of the Wild Tiger a moment later at Happosai's glare.

"Then you truly are inept, Genma! I can feel it as plain as day! Come, we've rested long enough." With that said, he motioned for Cologne to continue, and hopped after her retreating figure.

As the Senshi followed closely behind, Mars turned to stare at Moon.

"You...sense anything, Moon?" Moon shrugged helplessly.

"Nothing," She admitted. "We'll just have to hope their feelings aren't too serious…"

Cologne suddenly motioned for them to stop, and they came to a halt on a nearby rooftop.

"She is close," Cologne warned. "Be ready for anything."

Suddenly, the building they were currently stopped on shook as if a bomb had exploded inside of it, and the group turned to the ground to see a figure burst out of the brick wall of the building and come to a rest in the nearby courtyard.

"That's not…" Moon stated incredulously.

Before she could finish her sentence, a woman shot out of the hole that had just been created, and launched herself towards the familiar looking young man.

The young man barely had time to steady himself before he was under attack by the woman, her violet hair clearly visible in the sunlight.

She instantly launched into an intricate series of rapid kicks while her arms danced towards the young man's torso, and although the young man was able to block them, even Moon could see that the woman would soon overpower him.

Suddenly, the young man shot off a green energy blast, the air crackling in displacement and the woman barely managed to twist out of the way, the shot continuing on to make another crater in the building, which shuddered ominously.

The woman turned back to the building, and she lifted a hand towards her opponent, her expression furious

Her upturned hand glowed for a moment, and violet energy instantly shot straight towards the young man, who was still partially obscured by the dust permeating the impromptu ring.

The blast hit its target square in the chest, and the man went flying backwards, slamming against a wall.

Cologne, whose eyes had widened at the green energy blast, now hardened as she recognized a visible pig tail swaying in the young man's hair.

"Ranma!" Genma, who had also noticed the pig tail, leapt down, quickly followed by Cologne and the Senshi.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" Mars cried as she followed closely behind, and the woman's back straightened in recognition of Mar's voice even as the fiery bolt pierced her in the side, and she grimaced.

With a hiss, she turned to the Senshi, her expression and body posture giving away her anger.

"Stay out of this!" She shouted, even as a red stain slowly began to appear from within her blouse.

"I don't know how, but I have my son back!" Genma shouted back, as he fell back into an unknown stance. "I won't lose him a second time!"

"Happo Fire Burst!" Happosai's bombs quickly dropped in front of Mistress 9, and she grimaced, leaping high into the air to avoid the explosion, and Jupiter saw her chance.

"Supreme Thunder!" She cried out, and the atmosphere crackled as a lightning bolt shot out of the sky straight towards Mistress 9, whom should have been unable to dodge.

To her shock, her foe quickly twisted while in midair, and in an impossible display of martial arts prowess, dodged her bolt, landing on the opposite ending of the courtyard.

"Enough!" She cried, and the Senshi stiffened as they felt a power spike similar to the immense energy beam that had almost eliminated them made itself known.

"Mercury!" Moon cried, and the aquatic Senshi nodded.

"Shine aqua illusion!" She shouted, and a mist immediately descended around her position.

"We need a plan!" Moon spoke with urgency to the Senshi.

"Too late." The voice came to her right, and she turned to see a fist about to make contact with her face.

Before it could connect, she felt a flurry of motion on her side, and the outline of Mistress 9 could be seen flying several yards backwards.

"Sloppy, demon!" Genma cried, his expression stern. "My son could dodge that in his sleep!"

Meanwhile, Cologne had been checking up on Ranma. She noted with concern that his normal aura of confidence was gone, and only a slight green aura she recognized from Ryoga's normal aura could be seen.

"Ranma?" She prodded the young man gently.

"Kasumi…" Ranma muttered…"Trap…in…building…"

Cologne was shocked.

"Of course…" she whispered to herself before whirling around to Genma and Happosai.

"Happi! Genma! Kasumi is in that building!"

"What?!" Genma roared, his expression darkening.

"I bet Mistress 9 was after her heart crystal!" Venus shouted, and Moon's eyes narrowed. That was unacceptable.

"Mercury, I need to see her!"

Mercury, correctly inferring on just which her Moon was talking about, released the illusion, the mist quickly fading away, and Moon could clearly see Mistress 9 as she prepared herself once more.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

Feathers appeared around Mistress 9's still figure, and with a flourish, bright holy light shot towards Mistress 9.

Mistress 9's own expression appeared grim, but with a sudden smirk, she widened her fingers, and a orb of purest black surrounded her, countering the light of Moon's attack.

The shockwave of the attacks colliding knocked everyone except for Sailor Moon off their feet with its suddenness and severity.

When the smoke had cleared, Mistress 9 was nowhere to be found, and only a moderate puddle of quickly browning fluid remained to show she had been there in the first place.

"Come on, we're going after her!" Mars cried, but before she could do so, the building behind them shook ominously.

"Kasumi!" Genma cried, and he rushed into the building.

"Freeze!" Mercury shouted as she gestured towards several collapsing pillars.

Ice shot out of her upraised hands, and the pillars became encapsulated in ice, preventing their crumbling further, at least, for the moment.

"That won't hold for long!" She shouted to the other Senshi, even as Genma returned out of the building, Kasumi and a young man held in his arms.

Kasumi, beyond that of a few small rips and tears in her clothing and her mussed hair, seemed to be unharmed, as no visible bruises or lacerations could be spotted on her clothing, even though what appeared to be strong amounts of wire held her arms and legs firmly affixed.

"Ryoga?" Moon asked, vaguely recognizing the other figure. "What was he doing in there?..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened, noticing Ryoga's condition.

While Kasumi had gotten off easily, Ryoga, by the looks of it, had not. No items of containment adorned his body, but various cuts and dull bruises covered his face

Moon's horrified gaze trialed down, spotting more cuts and bruises rampant on both his upper and lower body. Spots of dried blood coated his hair and his normally healthy skin had paled to that of a pasty white.

"I don't know!" Genma replied, turning to Happosai while reaffirming his grip on the youths. "Master, what should we do?"

"Do? We're going after her, that's what!"

"Happi!" The small old man turned to face Cologne, his face angry.

"Look what she did, Cologne-chan! What she was going to do!"

"I know that, but we need to make sure all three are well. We'll return to the Neko Hanten, and work on our next objective." She turned towards the puddle and gestured to it.

"Beside, with that amount of blood missing and the wound being magical in nature, I doubt she'll be attacking us soon. We'll come back as soon as we drop them off."

Happi grumbled, but from his expression, he could see the logic in Cologne's words.

He wordlessly picked up Ranma, only to hear a confused mumbling emanating from the boy's mouth.

"Ranma Saotome…..sorry….this."

Happosai's frown lessened as he adjusted his hold on the beaten martial artist.

He could now at least help his young student to recovery.

As one, the Senshi and the martial artists leapt towards another building, making their way back to their impromptu base of operations, the destroyed grounds and a small red pool the only signs a battle of no small significance had ever taken place.

A/N

Sorry about the wait. I know it's been a while, but classes had priority until the end of term.

Special thanks to those who helped me with the themes for the daimons. Not going to say anything else, it'd give too much away.

Also thanks to those who have left a review for this work so far, and as always, if you have a comment, feel free to review.

Until the next chapter.

Sincerely,  
MV


	7. Developments

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by MV

Disclaimer: I'm just expressing an idea here, no profit intended.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

Special thanks in this chapter go to Sunshine Temple for essentially beta-ing this for me, as well as P.H. Wise and DCG for some help on revision.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 6: Developments

As Dr. Mizuno exited her taxi after a long, stressful shift at Juuban Secondary General Hospital, a shiver fluttered down her spine. A sudden small burst of wind had just rustled through her loose clothing, and she cinched the belt of her overcoat tighter.

As she buttoned up the top button of her fleece coat, she idly wondered when the weather had changed, as it had been, from what she had seen from looking out several windows during the day, quite pleasant until now.

Shrugging to herself, she stepped onto the sidewalk, and started at a fairly quick pace towards the living quarters which she and her daughter shared.

Grinning slightly in spite of the cold, her face brightened in recent memory of getting a colleague to cover the last hour of her shift so that she could spend some quality time with her daughter.

As she neared the door to her apartment, she dug through her coat pockets to find her keys, she thought of Ami, and more importantly, where her previously underfoot daughter now often disappeared to.

She and Ami had always seemed to have a companionship of that as equals, rather than that of mother and daughter. Several articles she had read suggested that this was due to Ami having no father figure in her life, but Dr. Mizuno didn't believe in this any more than she did in the so-called evidence of psychology.

Regardless, she knew that even though Ami would confide in her if something was truly troubling her daughter, she found herself dwelling on all those times Ami had suddenly received a call from one of her friends, and suddenly had something urgent something or other that demanded her presence.

She thought back, attempting to locate a point of origin for this peculiarity in her daughter's formerly stable schedule. Thinking back, she nodded to herself as she determined that this irregularity had started at approximately the same time that Ami had started to make those friends at Juuban Junior High.

While she was glad to see her daughter finally making friends after so many years of loneliness, especially with her own erratic hours that was required of her position, she couldn't help herself from worrying, and she promised herself that she would ask Ami about it if she was home, or at the nearest moment of opportunity.

She finally located her set of keys, and walked into her apartment building, dropping off her coat on its customary peg.

As she moved into the kitchen, she noted with a sigh that once again, Ami had not yet returned, and there was no message either on her answering machine or any of the written variety.

After she had started a kettle of hot water for some tea, she sighed once more, this time in pleasure, as she dropped calmly into a comfortable leather recliner.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Several minutes later, Dr. Mizuno blinked as the loud whistle of a kettle broke her out of her near-slumber.

She sat up without haste, walking slowly over to the kitchen. Taking the kettle off the stove and placing it on an unused burner, she began rummaging through the various cabinets looking for where she had placed her particularly good stash of herbal tea.  
As she retrieved the tea from its hiding place, near out of reach in one of the upper cabinets, she glanced out the window, her eye catching a hint of movement in the slowly darkening street.

She turned to get a better view, curious, and her wandering gaze caught site of a young woman, walking slowly down a nearby alley towards the main street.

Dr. Mizuno shrugged, people watching not being her thing, but some instinct kept her gaze on the violet haired woman, and, after several moments of staring, her eyes widened.

The woman was walking with a limp, and as Dr. Mizuno's eyes trailed upwards, she noted a peculiar dark brown stain on the woman's otherwise blue blouse. She also took note of the young woman's pale face, and more importantly, the hand that clutched at the woman's side as she continued her slow movement.

Without warning, the woman appeared to misstep, and fell to the ground, landing unceremoniously on the hard pavement below her.

As the sound of her pained cry echoed through the partially open window, Dr. Mizuno surged into motion.

Quickly grabbing her coat from its hook, she kicked on a pair of shoes, threw open the door to the apartment, barely remembering to slam it shut as she raced out to check on the injured woman, her doctoral instincts kicking in as she crossed the street, deftly ignoring the various audible protests from moving vehicles.

"Miss, what happened to you?!" She spoke urgently as she quickly examined the other woman.

"Miss?" She peered over, trying to determine whether or not the woman could respond, only to find that the other woman's eyes had closed, her shallow breathing easy to hear in the sudden silence that seemed to envelop the area.

"Unconscious?" She wondered out loud.

She gently closed the last few feet between her and the comatose patient, and placed a hand on her forehead, only to gasp and pull it back as a sudden cold burn raced through her nervous system from the nerves in her hand to her cerebellum.

As she turned to examine it for any evidence of the odd sensation she had just felt, the other woman's breathing quickly steadied itself, until it approached what most would consider normal.

Dr. Mizuno shook her head to clear a sudden wave of dizziness, and slowly lowered herself to the ground. With only a small moment of hesitation, she quickly moved up the woman's stained blouse, and, as she spotted what looked to be hastily placed gauze, strained her muscles, and was able to loosen the gauze enough for it to be moved.

She inhaled sharply as the full damage of the wound was revealed beneath the crusty brown gauze.

Somehow, this woman had taken what appeared to be a bullet of a small diameter to the lower side, and had been walking on it for at least enough time to open the wound further.

As Dr. Mizuno peered intently at the hole, she noticed with some disbelief that the bleeding from the wound seemed light, especially due to its severity. She took a quick glance through the hole, only barely managing to suppress her gag reflex at seeing blood-stained concrete beneath her, and looked away quickly. The wound had somehow been partially cauterized, as if the bullet had been heated to a very high temperature before being fired; a sudden yell interrupted her diagnosis.

"Ma'am!"

She turned quickly, noting the presence of a tall, non-descript man, his head poking out of his vehicle that had quickly pulled to the side of the street.

"I've called an ambulance; it should be here any moment!"

Dr. Mizuno nodded her appreciation, noting the cell phone present by the man's ear.

However, even as she turned back to examine the violet haired woman, a sudden feeling of dread trickled down her spine.

Her head quickly shot up to look at her surroundings, but beyond herself, the man still inside his vehicle, and young woman lying by her side, no other presence was visible on the dimly lit street or further down the alley.

She shrugged, and with no outward signs of any danger, and the wail of a siren neared and the flashing lights became visible, it was quickly forgotten.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the ambulance sped away, the driver assisting Dr. Mizuno in transferring the unconscious victim into the back of the vehicle with calm efficiency, and the uneasy motorist having returned on his way, from the depths of the darkening alley, a woman appeared.

"Damn." She whispered to herself.

She had patient thus far, barely holding herself back from an earlier attempt only due to the multiple unknowns the situation presented. However, she had been looking forward to her best chance to date to eliminate her target.

But even with the wound, she had recognized the subtle power waiting to be unleashed at the nearest hint of danger, and the smirk somehow present on the unconscious woman's face had only added to her displeasure.

Black earrings tinkled quietly as she turned her head, avoiding the flare of a passing car's headlights.

After a few moments of deliberation, the woman's eyes suddenly narrowed. She twisted her head towards the nearby rooftops, where, if one looked close enough, one could see the dim figures of several girls wearing white sailor fukus in the distance, jumping from roof to roof.

With a flick of her head, she turned, walked deeper into the alley from which she had arisen, and disappeared into the cover of darkness the alley provided.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the Senshi and the several of the premier martial artists roof-hopped their way back towards the Nekohanten, Mercury suddenly stopped, and Mars had to perform an ungraceful somersault to escape crashing into her.

"What the…Mercury?!" She called out in a frustrated tone. "What are you doing?"

Mercury twitched slightly, and turned back to Mars. "I felt something…personal."

By now, the other Senshi had noticed the two remaining Senshi, and had doubled back.

"Mercury, what is it?" Moon asked, concerned.

"It's…nothing." Mercury spoke finally, and smiled to Moon. "I just thought of my mother, but I know she's still at work, and I haven't heard any reports of attacks on the hospital."

"Are you sure?" Jupiter asked, and Mercury nodded. "I'm sure, I'll just check on her in a little while."

Moon stared at Mercury for a few moments, then nodded, and the Senshi quickly leapt into the air, once more following the martial artists through the roofs.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the Group landed in front of the Nekohanten, a tall, black haired man with a peculiar mustache was also entering.

As Moon opened her mouth to greet the man, a sudden coughing fit made her turn, and she stared at Ryoga worriedly.

His already pale face had become even whiter, and his breathing was hitched, a clear indication something was wrong with him.

"Quickly, Soun, bring him inside." Cologne commanded, and the man quickly took the unconscious boy from Genma's arms, and brought him inside. Genma followed next, gently cradling Kasumi in his arms, followed by the inners.

"Kasumi! Ranma!" came the cry from the assorted populace.

"Waahhhh! My oldest daughter is unconscious!" Soun cried, tears beginning to form. His sniveling form suddenly ceased as Happosai glared at him.

"She's fine, Soun. Now stop crying!" The master's command must have been laced with a touch of ki, as Soun's wailing immediately ceased, and he gently placed a blanket over Kasumi's body.

Meanwhile, Nodoka had gently set Saturn's still form down so that the young girl was lying on the bench, and hurriedly walked towards him. After Ranma made no movement, she turned to Genma.

"Husband, what is wrong with him?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine dear…"

"Are you lying to me, Genma?" Nodoka's scared tone was suddenly infused with steel.

"Nononono!" Genma's mouth was a flash of motion as he held up his hands. "I'm sure he'll be fine, right master?...Master?"

He turned to stare at Happosai, only to follow the old pervert's stare and wind up with…Ryoga?

"Master?!"

"Quiet, Genma! Something's **wrong** with Ryoga."

"Ranma!" Akane, hearing the commotion, had entered through the back, and seeing her fiancée, let out a cry of relief, but her joyous expression quickly turned somber when she followed the focus of everyone else.

"Ran-chan!"

"Airen!"

Akane's smile of joy quickly turned into a scowl as Shampoo and Ukyo rushed in from their spar, both instantly clinging to Ranma. She turned away, only to notice Ryoga.

"Ryoga?!" She cried, and rushed over, only to be held back by Genma.

"Hold on, girl!" He spoke gruffly. "Soun and I know from experience that when something's wrong, and you don't know what it is, don't touch the person. Right Soun?" He called out, straining to hold Akane back as tendrils of red ki began to burn his skin.

"Genma is correct, Akane." Soun said sternly, and the ki, its owner unused to a firm parental figure, quickly dissipated, and he continued.

"There were several times the Master appeared ill…" He shuddered briefly. Akane glared at Genma, who quickly released her, and sat down in the bench next to Ranma, still being clung to by Ukyo and Shampoo, her expression downcast. Even though she was immensely glad to have Ranma back, Ryoga was possibly her only male friend, and she was worried about him.

She turned to look at Ranma, glad that at least for once, small mercy of mercies in what appeared to be a never ending storm of sadness, her fiancée had returned to her.

"Ranma, what's wrong with Ryoga?..." she whispered, but the unconscious pig-tailed boy made no response, and she sighed, wanting to be angry at something, but for some reason, she couldn't muster enough emotion to fight her fiancée.

Cologne was rapidly scanning Ryoga, and when it had appeared she had finished, Happosai let out a snort.

"Well?"

"I don't understand…" Cologne muttered. "Physically, Ryoga has suffered much worse and been fine. His ki, though…." She broke off.

"It's like it's been sapped, and his body can't make enough to fill the void he normally now carries, and his body lacks the energy to support itself."

"Huh?" Moon asked dumbly.

"Basically, his ki, which acts as the battery for much of the body, has just been replaced with a much smaller one, and his body is slowly dying out…" Ukyo, added, her expression incredulous.

"I estimate he has only a couple days longer." Cologne broke in, her expression serious. "I have never seen anything like this in all my years as a Matriarch."

"We could ask Ranma, he'd know!" Akane near-shouted, her anxiety overriding her common sense. Her temporarily hopeful gaze faltered as no one else appeared enthused at the prospect.

"What?!" She asked loudly. "I'm sure the jerk must know too..."

"He was in the same building…" Jupiter supplied helpfully.

"See?" Akane continued. "Let's wake him up!" And as everyone else stood watching her, she quickly turned to a nearby faucet, grabbed a dirty plate of ramen noodles, filled it with cold water, and unceremoniously dumped it on her fiancée's head.

She was expecting a muttered "un-cute tomboy", a response, something. However, only Ukyo and Shampoo's glares stared back at her, Ranma had made no response.

However, not only did the liquid **not** wake the youth from his slumber, after a few moments, Akane and Nabiki turned to stare at each other, while Shampoo and Ukyo unconsciously duplicated their actions.

At the same time, Nodoka's face gradually brightened.

"He's no longer a girl?" She half-whispered in disbelief, near-delirious at the fact, her mind tuning out the plight of her son's friend for a moment.

"It looks that way…" Genma agreed, his expression lightening a little. At last, his major folly had been corrected, and the schools could now be joined without protest.

Mercury, whom had been scanning Ryoga, suddenly paled.

"He's…" She broke off, paling.

"What, Mercury?" Venus asked, peering over the Ice Senshi's shoulder, and as her eyes moved, reading the data, she too paled.

"It's…"

"Ryoga's…his heart crystal is gone." Mercury finished. "That must be why his body is deteriorating."

"Mistress 9." Mars spoke the name as if it were a curse, and her hands clenched tightly, and Akane's own face paled at the sudden anxiety that almost seemed to manifest on each of the Senshi's expressions.

"We have to go and get it back!" Moon cried, a giant pang of sympathy running through her as she noted Akane's desolate expression.

She turned to leave the café, only to come to a sudden halt as she realized several absences. She turned to the Inners, confusion mingling with the concern already present in her features.

"Where are Uranus and Neptune?"

Akane's expression changed for a moment as well, her eyes flickering back and forth from the inert Lost Boy to Ranma. Suddenly, her head twitched.

"And where's Nabiki?" She joined in, and a voice answered from outside the open doorway, even as shadows formed along rays of the setting sun.

"Right here."

The girl in question sauntered back into the café, only to stop dead as she noticed the general state of Ranma, Kasumi, and the one worst off, Ryoga.

"What the HELL happened?" She asked, her tone indicating that she wanted answers, **immediately**.

Uranus and Neptune walked in quietly after her, their expressions suggesting irritation. They spared a glance at Ryoga's condition, and Neptune turned to Mercury.

"His heart crystal?"

"Gone," Mercury confirmed, and Neptune's face fell for a moment, her traitorous mind dredging up some of her own personal demons. She ruthlessly shoved them back down, castigating herself for the weakness her mind represented.

"Excuse me for asking, but what the HELL is a Heart Crystal?" Akane shouted, greatly confused at this point.

The only thing she was certain of was that Ryoga was dying, and while she was comforted a tad by Moon's obvious concern, echoed by the Inners, she was at the same time dismayed that the two Senshi that had gone with her sister seemed to not even care about her friend.

"The Heart Crystal is the essence of a person's life force."

Akane whirled to face Neptune, who had spoken, her scowl increasing as she saw the so-called Defender of Love and Justice's impartial expression.

"Don't you even care?!" She cried angrily, and Neptune's own face darkened, the additional pangs of guilt that had surfaced with the girl's words adding to her ire at the presumptuous little girl.

"Don't even _think_ about lecturing me girl." Her tone was ice cold, and Akane shirked back unconsciously at the venom in Neptune's voice.

"I've done things that leave me with nightmares every night. I've seen my loved ones die in front of my face, and you have the audacity to presume I don't care?" She took several deep breaths, noticing everyone's gazes on her, Uranus' and Saturn's in particular, and her eyes softened slightly.

"I care," she admitted softly. "I may not know him, but that doesn't stop me from caring." The Inners nodded quickly, reinforcing Neptune's statement, and Akane's face fell.

"I…I'm sorry," she replied, her face crimson with embarrassment and shame.

After several moments of uncomfortable silence, Uranus turned Moon, her eyes narrowed.

"You were going to call us, Moon!" Moon cringed.

"There was no time…" She offered as a weak explanation, and Uranus' scowl deepened.

"Dammit, it took Pharaoh 90 to hurt Mistress 9 the last time, what makes you think…"

"She bleeds." Mars entered the conversation, her expression cool, and Uranus' mouth hung open, her rant temporarily halted.

"What?"

"I got her with a Sniper Bolt, and it hit her in the side."

"Good." Uranus smile gave her thoughts away perfectly, and Akane shuddered at the fearful expression.

"But that doesn't make sense…" Jupiter interjected. "Last time, our attacks barely fazed her."

"It must be her human host doesn't have any actual magical powers like H…" Mercury paused for a moment, managing to avoid saying Saturn's real name, her eyes flicking to the person she had almost unmasked. She coughed, and continued, ignoring the pointed stares. "Like her last host."

"It was her," Nabiki intervened, pointing to the sleeping Saturn, her mind whirring. "Wasn't it?" Mercury's eyes widened and she turned to Moon, her own eyes pleading for assistance, and Moon sighed.

"I can't tell you." She spoke slowly, her quiet voice begging Nabiki to drop the subject, and Nabiki's expression turned sour.

"Can't, or won't admit to it?" She spoke viciously, and Soun paled.

"Nabiki, that's enough!" He stood up as he shouted, only to quiver slightly at Nabiki's glare.

"What?" The girl countered. "They have more information on Mistress 9, and we need to know as much as possible, after all, they attacked Kasumi, the sweetest person I know, Ranma's unconscious, oh, and Ryoga's only going to DIE!" The last word was shouted, and her glare dared anyone to challenge her.

"Please, Nabiki-san, stop."

Nabiki whirled around to see who had stopped her, but her gaze stopped short as Saturn slowly rose from her spot at the bench.

The young Senshi dusted off her skirt, and stepped closer to Nabiki.

"Do you want to know what it was like, being possessed at the end?"

Nabiki's eyes widened for a moment before hardening again.

"If it can help us win." She admitted, her head bowed, unable to meet Saturn's solemn gaze.

"There is always a cost for power, Nabiki Tendo." Saturn spoke, her tone slightly chastening. "Though it may not always be visible."

Nabiki looked up, slightly afraid.

"What…are you?" She asked slowly, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. Saturn made no reply, however, and turned to Moon, whose face shone with understanding and compassion.

"We need to find Mistress 9." She stated, and Moon nodded slowly.

"Mercury, is your data that you mentioned from the temple ready for scanning?" She questioned. Mercury's eyes flickered across her aqua-colored visor as her hands seemed to blur along the small keyboard. After a few moments, she looked up.

"What are the parameters?"

"I can't…" Saturn shuddered. "sense her as being close, so start a fair distance away."

"We can't just sit here!" Akane cried out, her concern for her friend evident, and Uranus shrugged.

"What else can we do? Chase after a demon that's not only almost beaten us before, but is also well aware of at least our tactics and skills, and hunt after in what's probably her own territory?" She asked rhetorically, and as Akane spluttered, she and Neptune turned back to the rest of the Senshi, who were still staring dumbfounded at Saturn's sudden personality change.

"What now, Moon?"

"We'll have to wait." Moon sighed unhappily, indecision and regret clear on her face. She turned to Cologne slowly. "I promise we'll let you know the second we find anything."

Cologne stared at her for a second, as if judging her sincerity.

After what seemed an undeterminable amount of time, she nodded slowly, and the Senshi quickly filed out of the café.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Do you think we can trust them, old mummy?" Mousse's voice echoed from the back room, voicing the major doubt held by the remainder of the occupants of the building.

Cologne frowned, ignoring the mummy remark for once.

"Their leader, at least is telling the truth. She lacks the ability to lie convincingly" She acknowledged. "And without them, we wouldn't have had nearly as much a chance of recovering Son-in-law as we did."

"Speaking of which…" she turned to the unconscious, yet otherwise healthy boy for a moment, then stared at Genma.

"Ranma's attack…it was not its usual color."

Genma grunted in agreement, his expression thoughtful, and Akane cleared her throat.

"Ranma…told me that he made his own technique after seeing…Ryoga's" She stumbled for a moment, before continuing. "Shi Shi Hakoden after he tried to duplicate the original technique…"

"Makes sense." Happosai muttered, exhaling a puff from his pipe. "After being bound to a demon for so long, and attacking everything he holds dear…I can easily imagine his depression building up enough to overpower his normal confidence." His head twisted to meet Cologne's.

"Are the wards set up, Cologne-chan?"

"They will be shortly." Cologne affirmed, and Happosai nodded.

"Then I'm going demon-hunting."

"But Master!" Genma and Soun cried in unison, only to tremble slightly as Happosai released a little of his aura.

"Can it, fools. I've still got quite a few tricks up my sleeve, and I'll even use the blasted gadget Nabiki gave me if I need to." With that, he was out a nearby window, disappearing into the now dark sky. Cologne sighed at Happi's foolishness, but made no move to follow him.

"Come, girls, let's get son-in-law to bed."

"But he's going back to the dojo!" Akane protested once more, only to be silenced by Shampoo's snort.

"Think, Kitchen Destroy…Akane. If Demon recovers, where she go to hunt us down?"

"The dojo of course…." Akane's easy comeback faltered. "Oh." She turned to Nabiki, who was staring at Cologne.

"You mentioned wards?" Her older sister asked, nonplussed, and Cologne motioned towards the back of the store.

"They are drying as we speak, and should prevent any dark energy from being allowed to enter. In the meantime, we must stay here."

After a few seconds of muttering protest, she cleared her throat, and hopped up to the bench.

"I do not have enough wards to protect more than this building," She calmly announced. "There is room, and this is more important than bodily comforts. We must be united in order to take down the demon known as Mistress 9. A house divided…" she paused; making sure everyone's attention was on her. "Cannot stand firm."

"And besides," she continued. "Would Ranma really want you to be unsafe at his expense?"

Seeing the awareness creeping in her guests' eyes, her eyebrow twitched.

"Now, Mr. Part-Timer, please get the spare futons."

"But elder…" Mousse quailed at the staff being tapped against an ancient palm. "Yes, Elder."

"Xian pu." Shampoo looked up from staring at her Airen, slightly confused.

"Son-in-Law will have your room, it has extra protection in it."

"And what about us?" Ukyo asked, slightly angry at missing the opportunity to stay by Ranma's side.

"You, Akane, and Shampoo will sleep down here, along with the rest of you."

"There's enough room?" Nabiki drawled slightly, her eyes flickering over what seemed to be an already crowded space.

"Yes, the booths are able to be moved."

She noticed Genma's look of apprehension, and frowned before he could move.

"No arguing, Genma."

"Yes, husband, the Elder is right." Genma's face paled even further at Nodoka's reinforcement. "Come, let us get ready for bed."

"Cologne-san?" Soun's voice was slightly shaky, and the Elder turned to face him, her expression suggesting slight irritation.

"When will my daughter awaken?" Cologne sighed. She should have expected this. Moving over to Kasumi, she quickly pressed a pressure point on the eldest Tendo daughter.

"Sleep pressure point." She offered as explanation. "She needs her sleep to recover from such an ordeal. She'll awaken in the morning, and should be all right."

Soun nodded his thanks, and went off to assist Mousse in bringing back the futons.

"Shampoo, please, bring son-in-law to your room. With his recovery speed, he should also be awake by morning."

"Yes, great-grandmother." Shampoo quickly picked up the unconscious youth, and a startled expression made itself known on her face.

"Here, let me help." Ukyo quickly knelt down to assist her rival, looking for a change in Shampoo's expression. When none was forthcoming, she shrugged internally, and followed Shampoo's lead.

Akane watched them go. Normally, the sight of girls draping themselves over Ranma would have her anger building faster than the spreading of fire from dry kindling, but she sighed instead, realizing, for once, that it wasn't Ranma's fault. Turning out to look at the window, she peered out of it, the moonlight reflecting through the glass window.

"Ranma, you dummy…" she whispered. "Please, wake up soon. Ryoga needs you…" her voice lowered to a whisper. "I need you…"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Dr. Mizuno's expression of neutrality slowly faded to concern as she continued to glance at her patient from behind the glass doorway.

While beyond her area of expertise, the resident had taken looks at the bullet wound, and had determined that due to the complication of the cauterization, surgery was to be withheld until it could be certain of the woman's medical history.

Anesthesia would most certainly be required, but if allergic, the woman would die much more quickly from that of the slow-bleeding gunshot wound.

Unfortunately, the woman had not carried any sort of ID with her, so while the police had been called and where on their way, there was nothing Dr. Mizuno could do except wait.

For some odd reason, that dark feeling of dread had not gone away, but she rationalized that it was merely a combination of several stress factors, and that she merely needed some sleep, and to find out where her daughter was.

Taking a break from watching her patient, she moved several yards away.

"May I borrow the phone for a moment?"

The receptionist, a mousy woman with dirty blond hair, looked up from her computer screen.

"May I inquire as to the purpose of your call?" She asked in an irritated tone.

"I'm a doctor; I'm calling my house to check in on my daughter." Dr. Mizuno flashed her ID Badge.

After peering over it for a few moments, as if trying to determine its validity, the woman reluctantly complied, handing over the telephone unit.

Dr. Mizuno retracted her badge, and dialed the phone to her apartment.

After several rings, her own irritation rose. Her wayward daughter, judging by the amount of rings, had obviously not gotten home yet, and she checked her watch.

The digital LED lights flashed 7:00, and she frowned.

At the sound of the beep of the answering machine, she began speaking.

"Ami, this is your mother, if you get this, I'm at work. There've been some…complications, and I'm needed here. If you get this, please call me back at…" She paused for a moment, reading off the resident number of the phone she was currently talking on.

"Anyways, please call this number, and have the nurse page me."

The nurse rolled her eyes at this, but quailed under the glare of the doctor. She nodded hastily, and Dr. Mizuno replaced the phone to its cradle.

"Thank you," she spoke sincerely, and, ignoring the rolling eyes of the nurse, went back to monitor her patient.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the Senshi walked out of the building and started jumping from roof to roof on their way back to their respective homes, Venus suddenly called for a halt. As they fell gracefully to the pavement of dark alley, she then turned to Moon, her expression thoughtful.

"So, what are we going to do about our families?" She asked, and Mars nodded.

"We've never had an enemy that knows who all of us are, and none of us will be safe until Mistress 9 is dead, for good this time." Uranus added in, and Moon frowned.

"I don't know…" She finally admitted. At the sound of something approaching, all the Senshi whirled around, only to relax slightly as two cats, one black, one white, approached, the golden Crescent Moons clear on their foreheads.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna exclaimed in surprise, and Moon knelt down to pick up her worried feline advisor.

"Luna! Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry I didn't contact you earlier! Mistress9isbackandshepossessedsomeoneelseand…"

"Sailor Moon!" Luna attempted to interject, but Moon's rambling continued.

"anditwasareallycuteguyandwemanagedtosavehimbut…"

With an irritated growl, Luna nibbled on Usagi's finger not so gently. The effects were instantaneous.

"Ouch! Luna, what did you do that for?..." Moon broke off, seeing everyone else stare at her. "Oh. Whoops."

"Indeed," Luna coughed, before continuing. "We know what's happened Sailor Moon, we managed to open a channel to your communicator as soon as we sensed the dark energy."

So," Artemis continued. "Is the boy…Ranma, I think his name was, all right?"

"I think so," Venus' voice seemed uncertain, and she turned to Saturn. "I mean, Saturn's okay, and she was possessed…" Uranus' glare could have melted stone, and she flinched. "Anyways," she quickly continued. "We need some way to protect our families."

"Right." Luna nodded. "Here's what we'll do. Moon, let me see your communicator." Moon handed over her device, and Luna began to fiddle with the device while Artemix turned to Mercury.

"Sailor Mercury, you should be able to patch these into your laptop. I'm assuming you're already searching for wherever Mistress 9 is now?" At Mercury's nod, he turned to the rest of the Senshi.

"The communicator should be able to inform you if Mistress 9 gets too close."

"He's right," Mercury confirmed. "With the laptop's abilities, I've modified the communicators to alert you, and the rest of us, if any dark energy is within 20 meters of any of our homes."

"But will we be able to reach the other Senshi in time if something happened?" Jupiter asked, her concern for her friends obvious.

"Mars." Neptune spoke up, and the Fire Senshi turned to her.

"Your temple should be roughly the closest to everyone else's home, correct?"

Mars bowed her head in thought.

"I think so," she spoke slowly. "What do you have in mind?"

"We'll just all sleep over at the temple then, it'll be the easiest to mobilize from there."

"But that won't work if the communicators aren't at our homes." Venus interjected, her face relaying her hesitation, and Neptune sighed.

"Just go home, convince your parents, Uranus and I will be around to pick you up."

"Do we have a choice?" Moon asked hesitantly, and Neptune slowly shook her head, her aquamarine locks shifting in the still air.

"Not if we want to win." She stated calmly, and Moon turned to Mercury, who nodded slowly.

"Logically, it's the best we can come up with on such short notice, and I'll make sure the Mercury computer's sensors are at maximum strength. If we must, we can combine our powers and teleport there if we need to."

The other Senshi nodded at Mercury's cool logic, and Moon turned to face all of them.

"I know this is hard," she admitted slowly, taking in each of the other Senshi's gazes. "But we've won before, and I believe in all of us. If anyone runs into any trouble on the way, be careful." Her eyes started to glimmer with the beginnings of tears, and she quickly wiped her face, and smiled, hoping to reassure her fellow Senshi.

"Moon, we'll pick you up first," Uranus ticked off. "Venus, you and Jupiter are next, followed by Mercury. Saturn, go with Mars, we'll meet with you later." She took Neptune's hand, took a few steps, and turned back towards the Inners and Saturn.

"Pack light." As soon as the words had exited her lips, she and Neptune were already in motion towards the next roof.

The other Senshi looked at each other, nodded once, and leapt into the air, each heading their separate ways, each with their own wandering thoughts and fears.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

From deep somewhere in uncharted space, a sudden act of violence was heard as the sound of metal impacting metal echoed. With a soundless snarl, Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time Gates, yanked the Garnet Rod out of the ground, leaving another hole several inches deep, the new impression adding to the pockmarked floor, and looked for another target on which to focus her rage.

A dark green miniskirt fluttered in motion as she paced back and forth, temper once more barely held in check.

She had just been on an average check on the Time Gates, something that was now more of a formality than not due the gates being locked, and her mind was more on Haruka and Michiru's anniversary, and her promise to the both of them that she would return shortly in order to spend time with Hotaru, something that she honestly didn't mind in the slightest.

While Hotaru certainly considered Michiru and Haruka parents, Pluto knew, or at least, suspected that deep down, she was the Senshi of Silence's closest thing to a mother, especially since Hotaru had never known her real mother.

While Setsuna initially wasn't sure if she would enjoy being a surrogate parent, she was pleasantly surprised at the easy familiarity she seemed to share with Hotaru, even if neither she nor the young Senshi gave many signs of physical affection.

Though the feelings between Hotaru and herself had been strained slightly in the final battles, she was determined to bring their relationship back on track.

After the last check of the Time Gate to assure that nothing could enter without her knowledge and permission, she had walked calmly to the gates themselves, preparing to teleport back, when a sudden burst of dark energy had sent her reeling back.

She had quickly leapt to her feet, her crimson eyes scanning her surroundings for any trace of some youma, person, anything that could have possibly attacked her.

After a few moments, she slowly lowered the Time key, her stance still ready for any attack.

She had cautiously moved closer to the Time Gates, while all the while the Garnet Orb shone brightly, a Dead Scream waiting to be released.

However, when she had called up the Time Gates to see what had just happened, all that was visible was a 5-pointed, solid black star.

Pluto's face paled, as only the Witches 5 and…

She turned away, and began to swear, loudly and eloquently.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Several minutes and many more expletives later, she regained her composure, and tried to locate the other Senshi.

Her already pale face turned an even deeper shade of white as she locked on to the house she and the other Outers resided in, and her fist clenched tightly around her staff when she saw Hotaru under attack by one of the worst enemies the Senshi had ever faced, Mistress 9.

She sighed in relief as Haruka and Michiru appeared in the nick of time, and her tears started to well up in her eyes as she caught Hotaru's expression.

She had followed the events as she had been able, but when she had tried to focus to teleport back to Earth the Gates had faded to black, and an intense pain had shot through her.

For whatever reason, something was jamming her ability to teleport, and after a few moments, Pluto had figured out why.

Mistress 9, according to Pluto's slowly forming conjecture from seeing and hearing the Senshi's escapade in Jusenkyo, had been reborn from the Pit of Chaos itself, and she shuddered to think of what could be possible if Mistress 9 had inherited any of the powers held by Galaxia, or worse, acquired from the cauldron itself.

More importantly, though, she had followed the other members traveling with Sailor Moon, and had rewound their day as far as she could, only to abruptly halt when she felt the build up of more energy.

With a muttered phrase, a Dark Dome had enclosed itself over her, its energy crackling as it deflected it rode the storm of dark energy out, and she watched, fascinated despite herself, at the wedding proceedings and subsequent destruction of the Tendo household.

Her ruby eyes had narrowed at the sudden transformation, and she noted the water requirement that had been needed to make Mistress 9 appear.

Her eyes widened in puzzlement at Mistress 9's disappearance, and even as she banished the images away, she couldn't help but wonder at her enemy's change in behavior.

After a few moments of thought, she nodded, having reached a conclusion.

Since Hotaru had been possessed since near birth, Mistress 9 had been given much more time to sink her tendrils into her daughter, while it appeared that this…Ranma had only been the carrier for Mistress 9 for a shorter time, so it made sense that his personality would try to fight the invasion of his body, and the possibility of pain to his friends, though it had appeared that somehow, he had become separated from the one who called herself the Messiah of Silence, though Pluto was unclear on just how that had happened.

Frowning, she called up the life of one Ranma Saotome, and although she remained impassive at the training, if one could call it that, the boy had received while he was growing up, she was privately impressed on how the boy had excelled to his father's admittedly…unique training methods. She continued her search, looking for the one crucial link her theory seemed be missing.

Suddenly, her fast forward of Ranma's life came to a halt at Jusenkyo, and everything was made clear.

Somehow, Mistress 9 had been absorbed by Chaos after her defeat by Hotaru, and even as the Senshi continued their battles, had been absorbed into the body of a young man named Ranma Saotome.

She dispelled the past, and even though she knew internally that it wasn't likely that her spying efforts would succeed, she attempted to summon a vision of where Mistress 9 was in the present.

When the Gates failed to show anything at all, she cursed once more, and spun away from the source of her displeasure, her hair whirling as she moved several paces away, and attempted to calm herself.

After several minutes of mediation, she re-summoned the present to see how the Senshi were doing, and was able to catch the end of the conversation with the Moon Cats, as well as notice the Senshi splitting up, and heading in different directions.

She once again attempted to teleport, and this time, although the energy prevented her from doing so once more, she noted with no small satisfaction that the blast was weaker than either of the two times before.

Her eyes slowly closed, and with a cleansing breath, Sailor Pluto dug deep into her magical reserves.

The Garnet Orb began to glow once more, its brightness increasing as the faint stirrings of power began to seep into the discontinuity in which the Gates were located.

Sailor Pluto's ruby eyes opened suddenly, and the Garnet Orb released its energy, its own formidable powers combined with Pluto's encountering the traces of raw chaos that had prevented its bearer from leaving her own domain.

With a sudden, audible inhuman screech of magic destroying magic, the energy barrier snapped into the visible spectrum for a moment, the black netting fraying, the bonds separating in the seams, before disappearing into nothingness.

With a smirk of her own, Sailor Pluto stepped up to the Time Gates, her long hair still fluttering in the wake of the unleashed power still slightly coiled around her.

She gathered the remaining energy back to herself, and with a twist of her wrist, the Garnet Rod activated.

With a twirl of her fuku, she was instantly gone from her temporary prison, on her way to meet with the rest of the Senshi, and hopefully, destroy Mistress 9 once and for all.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

A while later, Dr. Mizuno yawned, and glanced up from reading a novel she had purchased from the first floor store.

It now read 10:00 p.m., and Dr. Mizuno realized that, after another, larger, yawn, that she needed sleep.

Taking the woman's chart, she quickly scrawled a note to inform her if any change occurred.

After attuning her pager to alert her at any disturbance in the patient's vitals, walked to the elevator.

After a few moments of waiting, a beep signified the presence of a waiting elevator.

Dr. Mizuno stepped in, pressing the button for the next highest floor, which was where some beds were stored for doctors that had taken extremely long shifts, and needed a place to rest for a few hours.

While listening to the bland elevator music, her thoughts raced as she tried to think of explanations for the wound, each more outlandish than the next.

As the elevator doors opened, she sighed to herself, admitting that she really did need some sleep if her mind was wandering so.

Showing her pass to the armed guard, she walked into a nearby room.

Pulling the window curtains closed, she molded her coat into an impromptu pillow, and collapsed onto the bed, asleep immediately.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Mom!" Usagi yelled as she whirled into the house, kicking off her shoes.

She ran into the kitchen, barely avoiding knocking her mother over as she scrabbled to a halt. "Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease can I go to a sleepover tonight at Rei's temple?"

"Whoa, Usagi." Ikuko replied good-naturedly. "Say it again, slower."

Usagi swallowed, then repeated herself.

"Can I please go to a sleepover at Rei's temple? All of my friends are going to be there…" She pleaded mercilessly, and Ikuko smiled.

"I suppose that'd be all right," She acknowledged. "Just be sure to get some sleep, all right?"

Usagi did not reply verbally, but her hug replied her gratitude well enough.

After her daughter had yet to let go after several moments, Ikuko raised the girl's eyes to meet her own.

"Usagi? Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned.

Usagi quickly shook her head.

"Nope, everything's fine!" She spoke, appearing quite cheerful. "ThanksmomI'llseeyoulater!"

Ikuko smiled once more at her daughter's antics, only to wince at a sound akin to flesh meeting wood.

"I'm okay!" Came a cry a few moments later.

Ikuko sighed once, having been long familiar with Usagi's lack of balance, and went back to her cooking.

She heard the honk of a car, and Usagi shot out the door, shouting. "That's my ride! Thanks again Mom! Bye!"

Ikuko chuckled good-naturedly as she resumed cooking.

"Ah, to be young and carefree again…."

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

In the emergency ward of the hospital, several minutes after Dr. Mizuno had ceased her watch, a pair of violet eyes suddenly opened.

The violet-haired woman, known to the Sailor Senshi only as Mistress 9, shook her head slowly, attempting to clear the cobwebs that permeated her mind.

The last thing she remembered was barely being able to repel Sailor Moon's accursed "purifying" magic, leaving her with barely enough energy to teleport far enough to not be found.

She quickly lowered a hand to her wound, only to have her hand encounter her unblemished side.

With a frown, she attempted to quickly get out of the bed, only to discover that several wires and other irritating cords were attached to her.

She slowly and deliberately snapped each of the electrodes, pulling off the ones that had been attached to her with easy efficiency.

After standing, her violet eyes took in the unfamiliar surroundings, roving around.

She slowly walked to the sliding door, sliding it open silently, taking in the additional dimmed lights of the hospital corridor.

Suddenly, a bit of fog cleared, and she remembered what, or rather, whom she had been attempting to destroy before she had been wounded.

"Damn them!" She whispered. "They don't know what the hell they're dealing with!"

Suddenly, her head snapped out towards the end of the corridor.

As metal doors slid open, she slowly backed away, disappearing into the shadows.

As she watched beneath the cover of darkness, her eyes widened in recognition as she caught sight of a woman striding purposefully down the dimly lit hallway.

The woman was as tall as 9 herself, but that was where the similarities ended.

She wore a dark black trench coat, loose red hair falling over it in waves. Black crystal earrings glistened in the dim lighting, and the glimpse of a metallic weapon could be seen in one of the woman's pale hands.

Mistress 9 quickly dampened her energy to nothingness, waiting to see what the woman was after.

The woman gave no indication that she had felt 9's presence, and continued to the room that the former Messiah of Silence had just vacated.

She watched as the woman brought the gun up, at the same time slowly sliding the door back.

Without turning on the lights, the woman slowly raised the device, and depressed the trigger.

A small beam of light shot out towards the bed, only to dissipate harmlessly.

The woman frowned, red hair shifting slightly as she moved to hit the lights to the dark room.

Mistress 9 exploded into motion.

Even as the woman turned, sensing the power spike and bringing her gun to bear, Mistress 9 batted away the device with a snap of her hand.

She snapped off a kick to the woman's chest, and a vicious grin appeared on her face as the redhead was sent flying out the window from the force of the blow.

Mistress 9 immediately leapt out after her, her violet eyes glowing in the dark night, a blast of power forming in her hands.

Rather than release it, she held it in her palm as she landed, her fist cocked and aiming for the woman's solar plexus.

The other woman was barely able to roll out of the way, the punch missing her by inches and making a small, fist-sized hole in the side of the building.

She quickly scrambled to her feet, turning to Mistress 9 with a sneer on her face.

"Pfh." The woman snorted in distaste at lack of refinement in 9's attempt. "With your pathetic powers, it's no wonder that pathetic Sailor Moon defeated you."

"It was more than enough to defeat you, **Kaori**" Mistress 9 shot back as she pulled her fist out of the cement, dust falling from the still closed fist.

Her tone was smug, and her smirk deepened as Kaolinite flinched.

But rather than get angered, as 9 would have thought, she merely smiled slowly, her power building into the visible spectrum, a blazing red.

Already dark eyes blackened, and a wave of red energy shot towards Mistress 9, who countered with a violet blast of her own.

The resulting clash of magical blasts shook the roof of the building, and the dusty remains of the broken concrete at the epicenter of the blast rose slowly into the air, the haze obstructing the views of both combatants…

As the cloud hovered, Mistress 9 suddenly was exiting it, rushing towards the Kaolinite, the dust leaving trails as she descended upon her nemesis, and the battle continued.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Ami rushed into the door of the apartment she and her mother shared.

"Mother?" She spoke, more than a bit apprehensive about her tardiness in returning home.

"I'm sorry for being home late, and while I know this may not be a good time to ask…"

She trailed off, noting with some anxiety that her mother was not yet home from the hospital.

She quickly walked to the kitchen, where the answering machine was located.

She pressed the flashing button, initiating the playback function.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

After she had listened to the message, she quickly picked up the adjacent phone, dialing the number she had written down.

Although it appeared her mother was going to remain at the hospital all night long, she would rather have her mother angry at her but knowing where she was rather than her mother not knowing anything at all.

As she listened to the ringing, she wondered about how Mistress 9 had returned.

Her theory had something to do with those pools in China and Chaos, but she was still missing several details.

The standardized answering machine voice brought her out of her wanderings, and she frowned.

"Odd," she thought out loud. There was always supposed to be a nurse on duty in case of medical emergencies. Although this was a bit concerning, it was possible the nurse had been called out of the reception area to deal with something.

The beep of the end of the message alerted her, and she began to speak.

"This is Dr. Mizuno's daughter, I was just wondering if my mother was around. If you get this, please tell her I'm going with my friends to sleep there for the night."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"If she needs to get a hold of me, tell her to call the Hikawa shrine."

She replaced the phone with a sigh, and walked out the door, placing her communicator on the small stand next to the coat hanger.

Locking the door behind her, she walked down the stairs to wait for Haruka and Michiru to pick her up.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

The urgent beep of her pager woke Dr. Mizuno instantly from her light slumber.

She glanced down at it, squinting to read the contents of the message, and as it scrolled, her sleepiness disappeared.

She quickly rushed out of the room before the message had finished, heading for the elevators, but noticed as she raced down the hall way that the lights were out, leaving only the dim glow of the emergency lights, which barely managed to illuminate the hallway.

She cursed slightly, and altered her trajectory towards the stairs.

Taking them two at a time, she quickly slid her pass to activate the door, and threw it aside.

She ran down through the ward, noting uneasily that no one else appeared to be active on the floor at all to make sure the patients were unharmed.

She stopped suddenly as she came to her patient's room, her shoes skidding on the tiled floor.

She gazed out the window, and her mouth dropped.

"That's…" She was at a loss for words, and ran towards the broken glass.

She peered out of it quickly, grimly expecting to see a broken corpse lying on the streets below.

After a few moments of searching in vain for the body, she looked up, and her eyes widened.

Her patient appeared to be locked in combat with another woman, and while Dr. Mizuno could at least place this within the realm of possibilities, what left her dumbfounded was the fact that the other building, on which the two women were battling on the roof, was a good 20 foot jump from across the street.

As her mind tried to come up with an explanation, she nearly missed the two suddenly leap from the roof of the adjacent office building, her neck craning as she attempted to follow their movements.

The two disappeared atop the roof of the hospital, and Dr. Mizuno stared for a moment more before retracting her head back inside the room, gingerly avoiding the broken glass as she stepped out of the room, back into the hallway.

She had heard reports of the various demons and the like that had plagued Juuban for some time, and of the demon hunters that had kept the city safe, but until now, she had never seen one.

Obviously, her mind rationalized. There's nowhere else such unnatural abilities could come from.

She nodded, the idea logical to her analytical mind.

She would deal with the other patients in the wing as best she could.

She could do no more for her original patient, if the young woman was even human at all.

She slowly peered out the corridor, looking for any other signs of demons that might be lurking in the building.

After a few moments, she quickly walked out, and into the next room, taking the chart of the patient, and began the lengthy task of trying to make sure the patients were as secure as possible.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Mistress 9's expression was slightly grim as she back flipped backwards to avoid another energy blast from the pistol, purple hair billowing out behind her.

Somehow, Kaolinite was much stronger than her previous encounter with the ambitious snake would have suggested.

Despite having landed several solid hits, ones that would have incapacitated any fit human being, the woman showed no signs of any pain.

More importantly, Mistress 9's own body was starting to show signs of strain at the energy expenditure she was demanding of it, and with the limitations she was confronted with, she couldn't summon that much energy without risking damage to herself.

Kaolinite, sensing a lapse in concentration in her opponent, closed her eyes for a moment.

When she re-opened them, she was in front of the alien entity that had dared to kill her once.

With a snarl, she went for Mistress 9's stomach, fist outstretched, teeth bared as the fist drove home.

Or rather, it would have, had 9's fist not redirected her hand to one side at the last moment.

As Kaolinite continued through with her punch, having not stopped immediately thanks to gravity and Newton's 1st law, Mistress 9 exploded into motion after her.

She jumped after her prey, and even as the redhead attempted to slow down, she twisted, lifting one leg quickly, centrifugal force providing her with no loss of power or speed.

She continued her circular motion, bringing the kick down with crushing force on Kaolinite's back, driving the woman's body into the unyielding concrete, several large cracks appearing at the point of impact.

As the redhead lay motionless on the unyielding ground, pistol discarded from nerveless fingers after the loss of consciousness, violet strands of hair picked her up with ease, lifting her into the air.

The purple locks brought up the unconscious Kaolinite, her head slumped across her shoulder, closer to Mistress 9.

Her expression undecipherable, 9 cocked one fist back, a small, turbulent ball of twisting violet energy forming in her hand.

Suddenly, Kaolinite's black eyes snapped open, and her outline seemed to flicker for a moment against the hair suspending her into the air.

She suddenly dropped through the hairs without a sound, blasting 9 with a focused crimson energy blast at point black range even as she rolled away.

Even as 9 bent over for a moment at the severity of the blast, Kaolinite was on the move.

"What's wrong, 9?" she mocked as she back-stepped quickly, retrieving her dropped pistol with a snatch of her hand, her sneer suggesting that she had come to the same conclusion that Mistress 9 had only moments before. "Running a little low on energy?"

"It's too bad you don't have a young, nubile, **magical** girl to draw energy from, isn't it?" Kaolinite continued, her smirk rising as spheres of energy appeared in each of her upheld hands. "I suppose your….current host body doesn't have enough magic beyond that of that absurdly wasteful bit of chaos," She paused for a moment, her eyes twinkling with sadistic glee, smirking in a way that made Mistress 9's mind rage with unfettered hate. "And we both know how useful **that** is..."

Mistress 9's reply was a rapid punch that snapped through the air, stopping suddenly, a small, purple distortion continuing on past the end of her fist, flying through the air towards the other woman.

Kaolinite smirked, and let loose her own energy blast, the ruby colored beam easily encompassing Mistress 9's smaller attack.

But, after a moment, her eyes widened.

Kaolinite canceled her blast and dove to the side, the pistol slipping from her fingers, but was still only partially to dodge; the small vacuum blade tearing through her side, leaving a long gash through her trench coat, and into her skin, yet no blood began exiting the obvious cut.

However, a hiss of anger and pain echoed throughout the concrete, red hair suddenly fluttering in the wind as Kaolinite's nerveless fingers dropped the pistol, and Mistress 9's smirk reappeared.

She shot off several larger vacuum blades, and she watched in satisfaction as Kaolinite suffered several more large gashes, the already clumsy dodges becoming less and less effective as her target's already injured body continued to sustain damage.

"Not so confident now?" 9 asked rhetorically, her violet eyes shining with dark mirth at the torn clothing and the large holes in the woman's side.

"And by the way," She continued in a conversational tone. "How did you engineer that little ploy for the Senshi and those pathetic fools in Nerima?"

She walked over to the dropped metal weapon, dismantling it with a clench of her fist.

"It wasn't that hard…" The redhead answered simply, peering up to Mistress 9 from her spot on the ground, no sign of dismay on her face at the loss of her weapon. "Gurmatroyd's journals, combined with a small sample, and once I found that stupid boy for the power source, it was simple…Too bad you managed to interfere when you did, the girl would've been next."

"You're finished," Mistress 9 spoke softly, several pulsing waves of dark energy leaping towards the woman.

"Hardly." The other woman's hair suddenly took on a life of its own, blood red strands pushing her out of the way of the incoming blast.

Kaolinite landed on her feet, and her hair continued to move, the individual strands sharpening as they now headed straight for Mistress 9.

"Feh…" Mistress 9 quickly dodged to the left, easily staying ahead of the trailing hair.

"I'm just as well versed as you in this little technique," she mocked as she continued to dodge around the rooftop, several trees and other objects being severed by the deadly strands.

The other woman gritted her teeth, and her hair stopped trailing after Mistress 9, only to begin weaving a barrier of sorts around the more agile 9.

Mistress 9 turned around slowly as she caught sight of the meshed net.

"Not bad," she admitted as she began to turn, but even as she did so, a thin, violet braid of interwoven violet hair, which had been slowly moving behind Kaolinite's back, wound itself around Kaolinite's neck, and jerked. "But not good enough."

The small rope of hair pulled the redheaded woman's head up towards the sky, and a small, choking gasp could barely be heard as the strands tightened mercilessly on the redhead's throat.

9 smirked as strangled gasps for air reached her ears, even as the hair continued to tighten its grip.

But as she finished turned around, her ears suddenly caught the sound of something metallic skidding across the ground.

A small, spherical object bounced at her feet and up towards her, and her eyes widened.

It was circular, with a small cylindrical attachment at the top, and Mistress 9's face was grim as she spotted the missing ingredient, the pin.

She immediately shot out one leg, spinning away even as one foot attempted to knock the obvious explosive back towards the Kaolinite.

She could only grimace as the device exploded on contact with her outstretched foot.

Boiling hot water erupted in a spherical direction, and Mistress 9's body was gone, a muscular, black-haired boy in its place.

"I did some research," Kaolinite's voice was now deadly serious as 9 looked down slowly at his callused hands. "I bet you can't even draw on what little amount of power you have left in that form."

Kaolinite paused for a moment, rubbing her neck, massaging the sore flesh.

"This changes nothing." 9 promised, his blue eyes shining with anger.

Kaolinite's reply was a snort of disbelief.

"Please, your bravado is pathetic. Without access to your power, it changes everything." 9's eyes widened as the gashes that had been rendered along Kaolinite's thin body slowly filled themselves in, restoring the woman's form.

9 looked around quickly, and launched in desperation towards a nearby watering hose, but another energy pistol was already being pulled out of one of the black trench coat's pockets.

Even as the body in motion twisted wildly to present less of a target, a pale finger depressed the trigger, and the pistol bucked slightly as a round was expended.

The laser-like beam hit its mark, slamming 9's body back into the wall of the hospital access door.

Kaolinite grinned maniacally, nodding in satisfaction as she walked towards her now unconscious victim.

Her grin grew as a small, shining crystal exited the young man's body.

A delicate hand reached down into the top of the partially unbuttoned trench coat, pulling out a small, crystal amulet.

This particular amulet lay in the shape of a small, intricately carved seed, and just below the tip where the amulet joined the clasp to the metallic chain, 8 semi-translucent, elliptical wings were easy to spot.

Kaolinite removed the delicate amulet from her neck with a deft click of a clasp, and held it up to the crystal, watching, fascinated, as the jewel slowly began to glow a dark purple in synch with the crystal's slow pulse.

"Finally," she whispered reverently. "The power is mine…"

Pale fingers extended towards the unconscious youth, tightening as they neared the shining crystal near the youth's heart.

Suddenly, an unknown presence knocked her back with startling force, sending her flying ungainly to the edge of the roof.

Kaolinite looked up from her position, and suddenly went stone-still, staring in disbelief at the still-outstretched fist.

One hand quickly clenched flew to the charm at the end of the necklace, only to encounter empty space.

She looked up, and spotted with rage that, while she had been knocked back, the other hand of what **should** have been a near dead body was now holding the artifact.

A sudden flash of escaping power forced her to avert her eyes for a moment.

She blinked quickly, and turned back, only to now see Mistress 9 lying where the boy had lain, once again female.

"You're not the only one who acquired powers from Chaos, bitch." Mistress 9 stopped for a moment to examine the amulet in her hand, and nodded in satisfaction. "So that's where the bastard hid it…I should've known."

Deft fingers slowly reinserted the heart crystal back into a now female body, and Mistress 9 jumped to her feet with a flutter of a violet skirt.

"I hope you don't mind me taking back what's mine," 9 continued, looking down as the amulet slowly lowered itself to her chest, fusing itself into the center of her outfit with a flash of purple energy. "After all, the Tioron Crystal **was** mine to begin with…"

She looked up, smirking in pleasure as her enemy's face purpled.

"That's not possible!" The redhead shrieked, her eyes twitching back and forth as she took in Mistress 9's new form. "You can't be-"

"I couldn't," 9 corrected her. "Not until now, that is."

A flash of purple fabric could be seen in the darkness of the rooftop as she shifted her position. "Chaos offered quite a wide variety of options, but I had my own plans in mind…" She paused. "I was only missing one piece of the puzzle."

The Tioron Crysal at her chest glimmered once, as if affirming her statement, and her eyes narrowed.

"Now, what to do with you…"

"Heheheheh…"

Mistress 9 raised an eyebrow at her Kaolinite's maniacal giggling.

"Even that won't save you, 9. Not when I have…" The woman snapped her mouth closed with a click of her jaw at Mistress 9's sudden display of audacity.

9 had turned her head to the right, craning her neck slightly, as if she had sensed something, and suddenly, Kaolinite's own eyes widened as she too, felt the approach of at least one of the Sailor Senshi.

Realizing that her opportunity had, for now, expired, she sidestepped over to the off the edge of the hospital roof.

Without a sound, she leaned backwards and dropped through the air, disappearing into the dark night sky before Mistress 9 could turn back to her.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Mistress 9 turned quickly, dark hair twisting as she realized Kaolinite had disappeared.

Even as she rushed over to the edge of the rooftop, she knew she wouldn't be able to track the main rogue factor in her developing plans.

Even with her newfound power tap, she knew she would have to recharge her internal reserves before accessing them, and in her current state, Kaolinite would have too much of an equal footing for her liking.

After a moment, her gaze turned up to the night sky, eyes locking in on a star twinkling through the darkness.

She had no idea on how Kaolinite had resurrected after the ambitious insect had been dealt with last time, and the other woman's motives were also a mystery to her.

Though she had sensed the obvious hate that Gurmatroyd's former assistant held for her, a nagging feeling that there was another element to the redhead's scheme was running ramapnt in the back of her mind.

Whatever the case, she knew that she would need to hunt down Kaolinite, and dispose of her once more, properly this time.

Otherwise, the Senshi might attempt to interfere, or worse, think she was working with the bitch.

She lowered her gaze back to the sprawling district, her violet eyes moving rapidly among the various streets and buildings.

She knew that she had felt Senshi magic approaching, but somehow, their power level had suddenly just…disappeared from her internal radar.

Hairs prickled at the back of Mistress 9's neck as she slowly turned around towards the rooftop entrance door to the hospital, a violet orb forming above one hand as she closer towards it.

She stopped for a moment at the sound of a pebble skidding off the concrete, and she whirled towards the origin of the noise, magical energy held at her fingertips.

Seeing nothing, she slowly turned around in a full circle, eyes moving from one side to the other, senses poring over every nook and cranny.

Her danger senses screamed at her at the last second, and she flung herself to one side.

A staff crashed behind her, crushing the concrete plate on which she had been standing the moment before, a Garnet gemstone shining in the keystone at the opposite end of the staff.

Mistress 9 turned around slowly, her expression wary.

"Hello, Pluto."

Her gaze flickered up and down the green-haired woman's body impassively.

"New outfit…" She commented to herself. "Similar to Sailor Moon's transformation with the Grail…" Her eyes roved over the fuku, comparing it to her mental image of what the fuku had looked like previously.

And indeed, Pluto's visage had changed, at least, from her last scant memories of the Senshi's costumes.

While still mainly the same white fuku with a dark green trim and miniskirt, accompanied by dark green boots and white, elbow length gloves, there were several changes.

The first, and most noticeable, was that the small, dark maroon bow on Sailor Pluto's back had increased in length, the ends now fluttering beneath the woman's waist. Additionally, the fuku had now gained the very beginnings of sleeves, and the design on the choker which adorned Sailor Pluto's neck now featured, instead of a small garnet, now featured a small, gold star embosomed in the middle of the olive choker.

Her internal examination concluded, Mistress 9 brought her gaze back up to meet Pluto's.

Pluto's gaze, she saw, contained rage, but beneath the smoldering anger, she could also spot a small hint of confusion…

"You like?" She pirouetted once, black boots with distinct white laces spinning on their heels.

Pluto's face darkened.

"How…" She began, only to break off, and finish her own question a second later. "Chaos."

"Correct." Mistress 9's smirk faded as she continued to stand, nonplussed at the obvious anger directed at her.

Pluto continued to stare at her, as if the woman was still unable to believe her own crimson eyes, and 9 followed the Senshi's gaze down to her own new attire.

Comprised of a deep violet miniskirt, midnight colored, form-fitting sailor fuku with a violet trim, and extended bows at the back of her waist and her chest, both in the in same dark violet as the ruffled miniskirt and trim, an observer would note the definite similarities to the Senshi, though, if they were a bit perverted, they would probably a pair of small, onyx colored shorts under the skirt.

The pitch black gloves that extended up to her elbows also could lead to an observer noting a similar, yet somewhat inverse color scheme to the Senshi's own.

However, similarities aside, there were several differences.

One was the skin tight boots that she wore. Although could possibly be seen as similar to those of some of the Senshi, the shine of satin evident in the moonlight, the absence of a heel and the durability of the material made it clear that this particular pair of footwear was designed for combat.

No hair ornaments adorned her head, and no tiara evident on her forehead, only the ever present 5-pointed Tau Star.

The Tioron crystal stood as the centerpiece of her upper bow, much like the heart-shaped clasp of Pluto's own, and even though light shone through the crystal, no glimmer of reflection could be seen in its depths.

Through the armholes of her impromptu fuku, short, semi-translucent violet sleeves caressed her arms, preventing her shoulders from being fully bared.

Mistress 9 looked up from her examination, catching Pluto's eye.

"Looks good, doesn't it?" She spoke arrogantly, grinning as she watched Pluto's face descend into a cold rage.

"You've harmed my fellow Senshi."

Mistress 9 shrugged unceremoniously, and Pluto's face lost some of its ice, her fists clenching the Garnet Rod fiercely.

"You've attempted to kill innocents, and have stolen the life energy of others for your own gain."

"In the name of Pluto," she continued, voice increasing in pitch, raising her staff menacingly as she seemed to pose for a moment. "I will punish you."

"Too bad you've already lost." Mistress 9 spoke calmly, her eyes below Pluto's feet.

Pluto glanced down, and immediately launched herself into the air to avoid the dark energy that had appeared underneath her.

Mistress 9 snapped a finger, and the trap exploded into the air, managing a glancing blow against the eldest Senshi.

Pluto landed smoothly, her forest green miniskirt slightly singed, but otherwise, there was no outward sign the attack had connected.

She twirled the Garnet Rod, once, twice, and Mistress 9 watched, head cocked, as she continued this process thrice more.

"Dead Scream." Pluto whispered, and 9's face lost its curiosity, agilely jumping to one side as the bright pink orb of destructive power shot past her, plowing into the tree behind her, utterly vaporizing it.

"I have been waiting for you to appear, Pluto." She spoke conversationally, even as Pluto decreased the distance between them, her staff held at ready.

"And why…" Pluto replied, launching into a seemingly random combination of thrusts and slashes with her weapon. "Is that?"

"Well, it goes back to…" Mistress 9 broke off for a moment; dropping to the concrete to avoid a particularly well placed horizontal slash that, had she attempted to block, would have left her open for the next incoming thrust.

She led from the dodge into a sweep of her feet while balancing on one hand, attempting to knock Pluto off balance.

Pluto jumped backwards unceremoniously, the Garnet Orb beginning to glow in preparation.

"Chronos Typhoon!" She yelled out, and Mistress 9's eyes zoomed in on the small fluctuation in the air that appeared as the attack name was shouted out, heading towards her.

She shot into the air, launching several vacuum blades at high speeds towards Pluto's own distortion.

A sudden ripple through the air was all the warning that either combatant received.

The vacuum blades pierced into the moving space-time distortion, blowing it wide open with a sudden, crack of sound.

Small slivers of disrupted space flew in every direction, shredding through the small trees, the concrete, piping, and fukus with equal ease.

Sailor Pluto fell to her feet, her skirt and white uniform shredded and torn, blood beginning to pool in several gashes.

Mistress 9 fell ungainly to the floor, her own black skirt also slightly shredded, though not as bad as Pluto's, as she had been farther from the origin of the explosion, and had been able to dodge more of the shards.

"Well, that was certainly…enlightening," She commented off-handedly, watching in amusement as Sailor Pluto attempted to stand, leaning on the Garnet Rod similar to the way a cripple would use a cane. "Can't say I'd have thought any Senshi's attack to be so…vicious. Now, where was I?"

"Damn you…" Sailor Pluto muttered through clenched teeth, wincing as she put too much weight on a weakened leg, almost collapsing before she could steady herself.

"Now, now…" Mistress 9 replied, eyes glowing with a deep violet light.

"How are you ever going to come close to defeating Kaolinite if you can't even…" Her voice broke off at Pluto's barely audible gasp, and her face broke into a gleeful smile.

"You didn't know?" she questioned mockingly. "I'm not the only one who's back…"

"You're…working with her?" Pluto rasped slowly, and Mistress 9's gaze darkened, as if she had just been insulted.

"Hardly." Her tone was nuetral. "I'll put the bitch in her place soon enough. Now…" she continued. "What'll I do with you? Can't have you blabbing to the rest of the Senshi, after all…"

"You can't kill me," Sailor Pluto spoke solemnly, her staff twisting for another Dead Scream even as blood continued to coalesce around her wounds. "The other Senshi will find us, and I will flee if I must to protect them."

"I've got plans for the Senshi, **especially** little Hotaru. And as for **you**…" Mistress 9's smirk turned feral, violet eyes glowing with sudden energy. "I have further need of you, Sailor Pluto."

Pluto's reply was to loose her second Dead Scream, only to wince in frustration and pain as Mistress 9 seemed to effortlessly knock it away, black energy dancing along her outstretched hand.

After a moment, Mistress 9 raised her open palm towards Pluto, and unbeknownst to the Senshi of Time, the shadows given off from the lighting of a neighboring building began to twist and bend around the green-haired woman.

Without warning, the gathering energy coalesced into a near solid form, the shadows growing with the infusion of power, and the last trace of Sailor Pluto was her cry of surprise and despair before she was fully absorbed into the shadows.

"Well, that worked out better than I expected…" Mistress 9 shrugged her shoulders to relieve her tension, appearing to come out of her stance.

Suddenly, her eyes caught movement in the dark night.

Turning quickly, she spotted a small, shriveled, and ancient looking old man closing in on her position.

She quickly gestured into the shadows in front of her which, seconds before, had swallowed Sailor Pluto.

The shadows danced in response to her infusion of energy, and once more lengthened in size.

With a small smirk, Mistress 9 dropped into the shadow portal even as a Happo Darinken landed next to her, vanishing completely just before the device could explode.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Happosai cursed as the demon fled from his presence. He could have sworn he had seen one of those Senshi fighting the evil who had attempted to possess his pupil.

But after he had strained all of his considerable senses to try and recognize the other woman's energy signature, he could only sense dark magic, none of the elemental types he had associated with the Senshi.

_Besides_, he thought. _I would've remembered such a fine female fighter like that if she'd been around. __  
_  
Coming out of his small, lust-induced stupor, he pulled out the walk-something or other that Nabiki had given him.

"Cologne, the demon was at the Juuban hospital. I'm not sure what happened, but there's a lot more dark energy here, do you have anything that can trace it?"

"I do not, Happi, but Sailor Mercury has some piece of technology that should be able to," the staticky reply came through. "I'll call them now."

Happosai pocketed the device, frowning.

As he thought back, some flashes of the battle he had seen, he noticed several interesting aspects.

Whoever the other woman had been, she'd had some expert training with the odd looking staff she wielded, but Mistress 9 clearly had possessed the upper hand, displaying several elements of Anything Goes in the fight.

Happosai's expression soured as he leapt down to the ground levels of the hospital.

They would need to catch this demon quickly, before it could get any more powerful.

His hairs were prickling from the dark energy which had been expended in this rooftop, and he vowed that the next time he saw the demon, it would die by his hand.

A/N

Well, here's the latest, folks.

Some questions have been answered, only to have more appear. This should clear a few things up.

Do keep in mind, though, that bias always colors one's perspectives...as well as limitations on what one is thinking.

Thanks to those who have left a review for this fic so far, and, as always, if you have a comment, feel free to review.

Until the next chapter.

Sincerely,  
MV


	8. Clarification

A/N: It seems these updates are getting further and further apart, for which I apologize. The last few months of school were extremely draining, but better late than never, I hope. Without further ado,

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by Metroidvania

Disclaimer: I'm just expressing an idea here, no profit intended.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 7: Clarifications

Happosai frowned as he continued roof-hopping around the roofs of greater Juuban, looking for the demon which had now been exorcised from his apprentice.

Stopping for a moment, he took a quick inhale from his pipe as he stretched his ki senses to the limits, trying to pick up traces from the dark energy which he had committed to memory.

After a moment longer, he exhaled, and watched in frustration as the smoke dissipated harmlessly into the air.

"Damn." He whispered to himself, folding his legs down into his customary thinking pose.

After a moment, a series of beeps drew him from his meditation.

"Yes?"

"Happosai, this is Nabiki. Repeat what happened, over."

Happosai sighed, and repeated his tale.

"The demon which had possessed Ranma appeared to be fighting one of the Sailor Senshi, but was able to overpower her and flee before I could get close enough to intervene."

"Odd, all the Senshi were….." Nabiki's voice paused, and Happosai stared at the metal device as the silence dragged on.

"I'll call you back."

Nabiki's voice had gained urgency, but she cut off the connection before he could respond, and the ancient grandmaster pocketed the device with no small amount of haste.

"I'm getting too old for this shit…" His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes once more.

"Ack!" He suddenly cried out suddenly. "No! Bad Happosai! Even if she's gorgeous, you've gotta…touch those beauties one more…DAMNIT!"

He quickly pulled out an intricately silk negligee from his subspace, and stared at it for a few moments, remembering the vow he had made scant minutes before.

"For Ranma-chan!" He whispered after a few moments of feeling up the pleasant texture. His eyes regained their resolve, the negligee disappeared into subspace once more, and the old man was gone from the roof with nary a sound.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Rei Hino sighed once as she glanced at her wristwatch.

It had been 45 minutes of the hour which she had mentally assumed Haruka and Michiru would take to pick up the rest of the Innners, and she was beginning to get a little worried.

A hand suddenly rested itself on her shoulder, and she sighed as she felt Hotaru's comforting presence behind her.

"Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama will make sure they're safe, Rei."

"I know, Hotaru, but…" Rei's fist clenched tightly around the broom, which she had been cleaning out the large room in which the Senshi habitually met, and the wood began to splinter around her anger-filled grip.

Hotaru's eyes widened.

"Is it…" She paused, and Rei's fingers loosened their grip on the broom as she turned to face the younger girl. "Mistress 9?"

Rei's eyes snapped up to Hotaru's, but violet orbs stared back evenly at her.

After a few moments, Rei sighed explosively, losing the rest of the tension from her shoulders, picking up the broom easily.

"I just can't figure out how I didn't sense that Mistress 9 was right next to us, and I didn't even pick up a trace of it!"

She propped the broom against the nearby table, and started rubbing her temples.

"I'm a miko, for Kami's sake!"

Hotaru nodded in understanding, and Rei continued.

And if Mistress 9's not pure evil, I don't know wha…"

Her diatribe suddenly stopped, and she turned to Hotaru self-consciously.

"I'm...sorry." She admitted slowly. "I shouldn't be dumping all of my problems on you…"

Hotaru shrugged, leaning on the outside wall.

"I…."

Rei turned to face her friend, and, rather than the tears or self-loathing she had been unconsciously expecting, Hotaru's eyes were closed in concentration, her brow furled.

"I couldn't sense her either, Rei, and I had her** inside **of me far longer than I'd care to remember. Even now, when I'm on alert, I can barely sense her at all."

"But…."

"Were you expecting your friend to be evil, Rei?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then how could you have known that she was possessing Ranma-san?"

"Because Mistress 9 is **evil**, that's why!"

"I…..couldn't sense her either, Rei, and I'd been attacked once already."

Hotaru turned up to meet Rei's gaze, her own purple eyes still strangely emotionless.

"Something's…wrong with this whole situation."

She turned to look out the window, up to the stars.

"Setsuna-mama…." Her whisper was near silent, only the faintest of breaths escaping her mouth.

Suddenly, slender arms wrapped around her middle in an encompassing hug, and Hotaru twisted her head, only to feel Rei's chin lightly resting on her shoulders.

"Rei?..."

"It'll be okay, Hotaru…" Rei whispered into the silence. "Ranma's back, and I'll introduce you to him later."

"I'd…..like that." Hotaru murmured, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she recalled the visage of the handsome young man whom the Inners had rescued.

"Haruka and Michiru will be here soon…" She spoke slowly, even as the pleasant silence continued to linger.

The pressure around her waist and shoulder reneged themselves slowly, and the Senshi of Saturn turned to see Rei grab her broom once more.

"We'd better make sure we've cleared out all this space, then. Otherwise, who knows how much Usagi'll complain" Rei's eyes twinkled in amusement, lessening the insult to gentle teasing. Hotaru complied, picking up several books, and moving them over to Rei's room, even as the gentle sounds of sweeping emanated once more from the sacred shrine.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Haruka frowned as Usagi jumped into the backseat of one of her only prized possessions.

"Don't damage the upholstery." Her voice was stern, and Usagi quailed at the harsh tones.

"I'm sorry!" She quickly uttered, and smoothed out the crease her knee had made.

Haruka's glare continued, but lessened after Michiru's hand wrapped itself around one of her own gently.

"Is that all you need to bring with you, princess?" Michiru's voice was steady, and Usagi brightened somewhat.

"Yep! I managed to pack light!"

Haruka sighed in relief at noting the small overnight bag in Usagi's lap.

"Thank goodness for small favors." She muttered, giving a friendly wave to Mrs. Tsukino, who was standing at the doorway.

With gentle coaxing, the engine purred as she switched into gear, and peeled out, careful not to go too fast until the Tsukino household was out of sight.

"Everybody's okay, right?" Usagi's voice was calmer now, and Haruka glanced back through the rearview mirror.

Rather than the worried face she had somewhat expected, Usagi gazed back at her evenly, and Haruka quickly flicked her eyes back onto the road, finding the stare somewhat unnerving.

"Everyone's fine, Usagi." Michiru promised, looking out the window with a small frown.

"Michiru?" Usagi's voice was hesitant again, but she didn't quail as Michiru turned face her.  
"Is Hotaru….alright?"

"She will be, Usagi..." Haruka spoke vehemently, her face darkening into a scowl. "As soon as Mistress 9 is dead."

"Princess…"Michiru continued before Usagi had a chance to respond. "Has there still been no response from Setsuna?"

"No…" Usagi frowned. "I still can't reach her…but I'll try again when we get to the temple."

The noise within the car died out once more, leaving each of the Senshi to their thoughts as the vehicle neared Minako's home.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Ami frowned as she dialed the hospital once more from inside her and her mother's shared apartment.

After a few moments, she cradled the phone with more force than she intended, and to her dismay, the phone fell off the hook, beeping incessantly.

Sighing, Ami placed the phone back into the recession, and looked outside the window, seeing if Haruka and Michiru had arrived to pick her up yet.

When the street remained clear, she turned back to the telephone, dialing the numbers without looking, having memorized the phone number to the hospital long ago.

"What's going on?..." She asked herself as she glanced over at her communicator, lying innocuously in the cupboard which held her shoes.

The doorbell rang suddenly, stirring the senshi of ice out of her musings.

Walking over to the door, she peered through the peephole, only to giggle slightly at Usagi, who was posturing in a classic "V for victory" pose, hand held high.

She unlocked the door, and smiled at Usagi.

"Ready to go?"

The blonde's enthusiasm seemed slightly forced, but Ami nodded, grabbing her small suitcase.

"I do believe so…"

She took one last look around the house, and patted her pocket to reassure herself the key was located within.

Usagi stared at her curiously, blond hair waving through the air as her head tilted in confusion.

Ami shut the door quietly behind her, locking it with quick strokes, and turned back to Usagi.

"Shall we take our leave?"

"Uh-huh!" Usagi nodded happily, and Ami followed her princess towards the street below, shaking her head at Usagi's taking the steps two at a time.

"Be careful Usagi, don't…."

She winced as Usagi missed a step, and continued her trajectory…right into the outer wall.

"Ite…"

Usagi frowned, rubbing at the bruise, which was quickly becoming noticeable.

"Are you okay?" Ami couldn't keep the worry out of her voice, and Usagi whirled around.

"I'm...just peachy!" This time, her smile reached her eyes, and Ami's own doubts were assured.

She handed her suitcase to the waiting Haruka, and climbed into the backseat.

Haruka closed the trunk gently, and took her place at the driver's seat, sliding easily into the much-less crowded front of the car.

"You girls okay back there?"

"We're fine…" Makoto replied immediately.

"Or would be, if we weren't squashed in here like trout…" Minako muttered under her breath.

Usagi quickly shushed her fellow blonde, and the car peeled out, back towards the temple, leaving tracks of burned rubber.

An uneasy silence soon permeated the inside of the moving car, and Ami leaned forward, barely avoiding Makoto's accidentally jostling elbow.

"Haruka, could you put on the news?"

"I suppose."

Slender digits deftly manipulated the knobs, and the sound was slowly increased, and the Senshi listened to the weather.

"A small chance of rain tonight, and….hold on, ladies and gentleman, this just in."

The Senshi perked their heads in unison.

"The Juuban Secondary General hospital has been attacked by what appears to be dark forces, and…"

As one, the rest of the Inner Senshi turned to stare at Ami, whose face had paled greatly.

"Haruka," Michiru urged, and the Senshi of Wind nodded, switching lanes at the last moment, avoiding the honks and shouts of other drivers.

"Ami…" Usagi spoke carefully, only to receive no response.

"Ami?" Makoto interjected as well, only to receive the same lack of an answer.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the building, and Ami was already out on the sidewalk before any of the other Senshi had undone their belt buckles.

"Ami!"

Footsteps echoed furiously as sneakers hit the pavement, accompanied only by the gentle swoosh of automatic doors as Ami ran up the stairs, her hands trembling as she threw open the access doors.

"Mother?!" She yelled out into the dim emergency lighting, her body trembling with fatigue.

"Mother!!" She yelled again, fear and despair now intermingling into her panicked scream.

"Ami!"

She turned around slowly, and almost fell to the ground in a dead faint as her mother approached.

"Mother…" She whispered.

In a few quick strides, she had buried herself into her mother's embrace, crying softly, the tears dripping down Dr. Mizuno's lab coat.

"Ami…I'm alright."

The crying lessened slightly, and Dr. Mizuno wrapped Ami closer to herself.

"I promise, little one, I'm fine."

The crying slowly slowed, and after a few moments, puffy eyes looked up to meet Dr. Mizuno's gaze.

"I…heard over the radio…" Ami stuttered, her poise slowly returning as she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "that there was an attack here."

"There was." Dr. Mizuno's voice was flat, and Ami looked up. Surely, her mother hadn't deduced her….

"It was one of the patients."

"How…is that possible?" Ami questioned, even as the other Senshi finally arrived on the floor, Minako and Usagi panting for breath.

"She…" Dr. Mizuno sighed, leaning against the wall to steady her nerves. "I saw her walking on the street. She was bleeding, and she fell. I couldn't just let her lie there, so I had an ambulance called."

"Excuse me, Dr. Mizuno" Michiru interrupted as Dr. Mizuno paused for breath. "What did this woman look like?"

"She was tall, seemed in good shape, well," Dr. Mizuno sighed wearily. "except for the bullet hole in her side?"

"Bullet hole?!" Minako, Makoto, and Usagi chorused, and Dr. Mizuno nodded.

"Well, there was a cylindrical entrance and exit hole, and unless the yakuza are running around with sharpened steel pipes, yes."

The doctor sighed, nursing her temples.

"My apologies, this has been a hectic night." She paused for a moment, "The only odd thing was…the wound was partially cauterized…"

"Cauterized?" Makoto asked.

"Partially closed, usually from heat." Ami answered absent-mindedly, missing the connection to Rei's flame sniper, and Dr. Mizuno nodded.

Michiru turned to face Dr. Mizuno again, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Pardon my asking, but what color was her hair?"

"Violet, but what does that have to do with?..." Dr. Mizuno broke off at the sudden stone faces of the girls.

"Mistre…" Usagi's mouth was quickly enveloped by Haruka, and the odango haired blonde swallowed silently.

"Wait, what?" Dr. Mizuno's voice was cold, and Ami turned to stare at her.

"What else happened?" she interjected, her own voice now struggling once more to stay even.

"I..don't know." Dr. Mizuno admitted. "I had left to get some sleep, and woke up to my former patient and another, red-headed woman fighting on the building across from here."

"It wasn't one of the Sailor Senshi, was it?" Minako asked quickly.

"No, most definitely not." Dr. Mizuno shook her head emphatically.

_Red hair…_ Ami mused…_Who?... _She struggled to tune back into her mother's tale.

"The power had gone out, and I had to help the other patients, so that's all I know." Dr. Mizuno suddenly paused. "But Ami, why are you here?"

"I…I was going to stay at Rei's tonight for a sleepover when I heard the news bulletin, but now that you've been hurt…"

"No, go." Dr. Mizuno's voice was firm. "I'm going to have to remain here to give the police a report anyways, and I won't be home for a while. Go, I'll call you in the morning"

"Mother…"

"I'll be fine, Ami." Dr. Mizuno attempted a smile. "I'll call you when I get home."

Ami nodded unhappily, thinking to herself.

_I don't want to leave Mother alone, but Mistress 9 is clearly the threat here. The sooner we eliminate her, the safer everyone's families will be._

Giving one last desperate hug to her mother, Ami slowly walked towards the stairs.

Her mother waved her on, exasperated, and Ami returned the goodbye with a tiny smile.

Without another word, she opened the car door, and after the rest of the Senshi had piled in after her, the car quickly took off, weaving into the traffic effortlessly.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna Meioh, better known to the world as Sailor Pluto, awoke with a gasp, propelling herself up into a standing position from wherever she had been lying down in.

She glanced down, and noted that she was wearing her fuku. She glanced around, but beyond the shadowy interior of what she recognized as familiar, everything was completely, and quite utterly, silent.

After a few moments of observation, her spoken musings gave away her feelings perfectly.

"What the hell?"

She squinted, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the full moon, shining through her open window. After a few moments, she finally recognized her location.

She was standing in her room at the house she shared with Michiru, Haruka, and Hotaru.

Narrowing her eyes in disbelief, Setsuna slowly eased out of the room, grabbing her Time Staff from its propped up position on her bedframe.

She peeked into Michiru and Haruka's room, only to find that neither of the two were asleep, or, what she had half expected, going at it once more.

Her frown increasing, she walked quietly down the hall to Hotaru's room, hoping to see at least her daughter safe.

As she slowly opened the door to peer in, the usual creaking sound from the metal hinges twisting slightly was not present, and she stopped immediately.

Setsuna closed her eyes, slowly listening for any sort of movement, air vents, whispers of breath, anything.

After a few moments, her eyes shot open, and she slammed the door open, belatedly noting that the door's impact against the wall produced no sound as well.

She burst through the door, only to skid to a halt, sighing in relief as she spotted Hotaru leaning up against her bedpost, her head tilted downward, as if she had fallen asleep while sitting up.

"Hotaru, what's going on?" She called out breathlessly.

"Ah, Setsuna…" Hotaru's voice sounded muffled, and Setsuna's gaze faltered as the eerie lack of tone in the young girl's voice made its way to her ears. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get here…"

Setsuna rushed to the youngest Senshi, throwing her arms around her in a desperate hug.

"Hotaru, we've got to go!" She pleaded urgently, nudging Hotaru's eyes to meet her own with her free hand. "Mistress 9 is…"

She broke off as Hotaru lifted her chin in a show of defiance.

The five-pointed black star shone with malevolent light, and Hotaru's once violet eyes now shone the deepest black.

"…back?"

Hotaru's body smirked cruelly.

"It's amazing, you know..." She sat up slowly, caressing Setsuna's face with the back of her left hand. "How easy this has all been…" Setsuna merely glared in return, and her fingers tightened around her staff.

Hotaru's hand shot out with lightning speed, and gripped her arm in a display of unnatural strength.

"I'm afraid not, Pluto."

She leaned in close, her body beginning to elongate and broaden, until Mistress 9 was once more leaning in close to the Guardian of Time.

"This time…."

Purple hair wrapped around Setsuna's arms and legs, reinforcing the hold.

"You lose."

Violet light erupted from Mistress 9's palm, and as it came into contact with her skin, Setsuna fell into the blackness.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

At the sound of a movement, Mistress 9 moved her gaze from the lights of the Tokyo skyline to the unconscious Sailor Pluto.

The Senshi had apparently shifted in her unconscious state, and although she appeared to be held to satisfaction, Mistress 9 was not one for distractions.

"Oh, my head….."

"Have a nice dream?"

Sailor Pluto was instantly in motion, leaping from her position on the bed, only to be stopped by the manacles that held her fast to the bed.

She tested the manacles, expecting her reinforced Sailor Strength to be more than enough to break the flimsy steel chains.

To her surprise, though, the chains held fast, and although the posts of the bed frame made several creaking sounds, she figured it would be far too obvious for her to try and break through the wood, at least, while Mistress 9 was still watching her closely.

"What are these made of, then?" She asked, gesturing with manacled hands, and Mistress 9 smiled.

"The good Doctor had several contingency plans in case any of the witches got out of control, thanks to my suggestions…I managed to acquire them in…"

She paused, rising to her feet, violet hair cascading down her back like a cape.

"Well, let's just say Tomoe's basement wasn't Gurmatroyd's only laboratory."

"What?!" Sailor Pluto responded in a livid tone. "Nothing ever suggested Gurmatroyd had ever experimented anywhere else!"

"Then I guess you didn't look hard enough." Mistress 9 shrugged. "Not my problem you girls are so inadequate in weeding out things you should know to look for."

She paused for a few moments, expecting the Senshi to respond.

"What, no witty repartee? I'm saddened…"

"I'm well aware of Ranma Saotome's technique of antagonizing an opponent, 9…" Sailor Pluto's voice was even. "And you're not him."

Mistress 9's visage darkened, and Sailor Pluto watched in fascination as the surrounding noise from the outside world seemed to dim.

"I would ask if you're stupid enough to fall for that ploy, but I have more pressing matters to discuss…." She spoke suavely, but the touch of anger underneath was clearly audible. "Like how you even know about my life in the first place."

"Give it a rest, 9…" Sailor Pluto smirked, the chance to one up her opponent too good to pass up. "You're not fooling anyone by claiming to be Ranma Saotome anymore…"

"Oh?" Mistress 9 reached to a nearby desk, picking up a nearby glass, and Sailor Pluto tensed, ready to strain her muscles to the limit to get free.

"Then explain…" Mistress 9 dumped the container over her head, and suddenly, in front of her, was a raven-haired, ponytailed young man.

"This."

Sailor Pluto blinked for a few moments.

"But…" She floundered for a response.

"I saw Ranma Saotome back in Nerima…"

After no response came, she craned her head up, only to see Mistress 9 move out of a small adjoining room, the glass in his hands full of water once more.

As she watched, the boy upturned the contents over his head, and Mistress 9 once more stood in front of her, her eyes now emitting a peculiar violet glow. And on her face, Sailor Pluto spotted….something out of place. The glow hid Mistress 9's eyes, but her body posture was…off, and Sailor Pluto was reminded once more of the slight differences she had seen in the elusive Daimon after her rebirth.

"Problem, 9?" She asked faux casually, knowing she needed more information about her enemy.

"No." Mistress 9's tone was short. She pressed her hands together, and as violet energy began to glow, she opened them with force. From the space in-between her hands, a shadowy sphere slowly took shape, big enough for her to step through. "But you have reminded me of something that requires more…pressing attentions. We'll have to continue our discussion later."

"The Senshi will destroy you, 9." Sailor Pluto warned, scooting herself up to where she could lean against the wall. "I promise you that."

Even though she hadn't really expected the threat to have any effect, she was mildly surprised by the resulting smile.

"I've heard that one so many times, Pluto, that it's lost its luster. While I'm away, try thinking of something more original."

With that final parting shot, Mistress 9 was once more gone, and as the ambivalent noise slowly came back up, Sailor Pluto began slowly flexing the chains, smiling slightly as the boards began to creak and groan.

By the time Mistress 9 returned, she'd be gone, and have already reunited with the other Senshi. With this thought in mind, Sailor Pluto redoubled her efforts, and grinned as the creaks of the wood grew louder.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Night had fallen over Nerima, and in the Nekohanten, and most of the martial artists inside had nodded off to sleep.

Cologne was out on patrol throughout the Nerima district, Nabiki following on foot, and Happosai stood guard near the entrance, taking a break from his patrolling. Resting in a meditative pose, he would have seemed the picture of tranquility, if not for the bottles of sake lying empty next to him.

In the eating area of the booths, however, one of the fiancées slowly rose from her futon.

Ukyo Kuonji slowly and silently strapped her bandoleer to her thigh, reminding herself to thank Konatsu later for his help in teaching her several kunoichi techniques to remain undetected. She'd hoped to use them to spend some time alone with Ran-chan, and now was as good a time as any to try them out.

She slowly stepped onto the floor, spreading her ki around her feet like Konatsu had taught her, in order to avoid pressure, which could lead to sound, and inevitably, detection.

She passed over Akane, only to sidestep just in time as the youngest Tendo suddenly grabbed for her leg.

She paused, holding her breath, until she realized that Akane was, in fact, still asleep.

Her eyes slightly wider than normal, she continued on past Shampoo, and the slumbering Nodoka and Genma, as well as sparing a pitied glance for Ryoga.

She paused once more in front of Shampoo, her nerves getting the best of her for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, she gave the Amazon a wide berth as she crossed by.

Glancing back as she continued walking towards the stairs to ensure that she had gone by undetected, her head suddenly whipped around as she caught a snoring coming from the stairs.

She instantly came to a halt, slowly placing her back against the wall as she peered around the corner.

On the second set of stairs, Mousse snored away, flopped across the stairs in what Ukyo imagined to be quite an uncomfortable position.

But, as she stared for a few moments more, she came to a realization.

There was no way she could walk around Mousse on the stairs. Every limb, whether accidental or deliberately, was in such a position that it would prove impossible to walk around.

Ukyo briefly considered jumping over the sleeping boy, but thought better of it as Mousse shifted, and the tip of a short sword became visible for a moment, before Mousse tugged on his robes, and it was once again covered.

Sweatdropping slightly, she looked back and forth between the walls.

A few moments later, she was across, using both her hands and feet against the opposite sides of the walls to maintain balance while crossing over Mousse.

As she continued moving, one of the spatulas in her bandoleer suddenly jangled, having come into contact with another, and Mousse's snoring came to a sudden halt.

She froze, stopping the movement of the spatula. Even as her muscles screamed in protest, she peered down at the young man, hoping he hadn't awoken.

After a few moments, Mousse's snoring returned, and he turned over, pulling his robes to one side.

Ukyo let out a slight sigh of relief, than continued up the stairs.

After she had passed the formerly duck cursed boy, she dropped to the ground, crouching to absorb the pressure from her upper body.

Keeping one hand on her bandoleer to maintain silence, she continued her sneaking, eventually coming up to what she suspected to be Shampoo's room, judging by the small bells hung on the door.

She placed one ear against the door itself, listening to see if she could hear any movement.

After no sound was forthcoming, she slowly pushed the door open, wincing as a tiny creaking noise permeated the sudden silence.

She glanced back down the stairs, and after Mousse had made no movement, shook her head.

_Stop being so paranoid_ She scolded herself. _After all, it's not like I'm doing anything wrong…_

She turned back to the door, peering in with her head, expecting to see her fiancé asleep in his bed.

"Wha..?"

Ukyo clapped a hand over her mouth to stop the rest of her question from getting out.

She slowly made her way closer to the bed, only to face bewilderment as it appeared that while the bed had been used at one point, it certainly wasn't being used now.

Suddenly, a small shiver ran down her spine.

She whirled around, one hand pulling out a spatula from her bandoleer, dropping into a defensive stance.

After a few moments, she peered out the door, looking down the hallway for some other sign that someone was watching her.

After several moments of fruitless listening, she sighed slightly, replacing the spatula to its holster.

_But still…_ She thought to herself miserably._ Where's Ranchan?_

A sudden murmur came from down the hall, and Ukyo froze.

After a few moments, she heard it again.

_Ranchan doesn't sleepwalk,...does he?_

Following the noise down the hall, she paused in front of another doorway.

_Kasumi's room?_

She slowly pushed the door open, wondering idly if the oldest Tendo daughter was still suffering from her ordeal.

As she pushed the door open, her eyes widened.

Ranma stood over the sleeping Kasumi, his hands outstretched.

That peculiar green glow that everyone had noted earlier was once again being emitted by his hands, and in one, Ukyo spotted a small, metallic device.

After a moment, her eyes, adjusting to the sudden glow of the green light, were able to focus in on the device.

She hadn't seen very many American movies, but she knew a gun when she saw one.

"Ranchan!" She whispered urgently. "What are you doing?"

Ranma whirled around to face her, expressionless.

Ukyo blanched.

"Ranma? She stuttered, her voice quailing.

Ranma's face remained devoid of emotion, even as he slowly raised the gun towards her, his eyes suddenly flashing with emerald light that made Ukyo blink several times.

She tried to move, but, to her horror, found that her whole body had somehow been paralyzed.

_Damnit_ She cursed herself even as one finger twitched down to her bandoleer._ How could we have been so stupid?!_

Still frozen, she was only able to watch Ranma's finger tighten around the trigger.

The boy smiled darkly, and opened his mouth, from which a low rasp was conveyable into words.

"Pure Heart Crystals…"

Ukyo's fingers slowly clenched around one of her spatulas, but she knew that whatever Ranma, or whoever it was, was doing to her, she couldn't break free of it in time to throw it.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered slowly. "Everyone…" She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to occur.

After a few moments had passed, she peered up, only to find the Ranma look alike looking around the room wildly, restlessly pointing the gun around, as if something had spooked him.

Even as she watched, the hairs on the nape of Ukyo's neck began to stand up.

Using all of her willpower, she struggled to turn her head around, only to spot nothing but the darkness of the hallway.

Turning around, she was taken aback as Ranma moved closer towards her, his gun held at the ready.

He slowly raised his other hand, reaching for her shoulder, the green glow slowly increasing.

As it neared her body, Ukyo began to shiver uncontrollably.

The feelings of betrayal intermingled with despair, and her eyes began to moisten.

Just as the hand was about to grab her, though, Ranma stopped once more.

Without warning, he suddenly twisted, raised his gun, and fired into the wall behind her.

The bright light lit up the room, but no sound accompanied it, and, despite herself, Ukyo frowned.

Guns normally were quite loud, so why wasn't this one?

Her eyes suddenly grew wide as Ranma turned back to her, his expression furious.

Raising the gun towards her again, he gave no pause, pressing down firmly on the trigger.

Even as the laser shot towards her, Ukyo felt a presence on her right, and out of nowhere, she was shoved uncaringly down towards the ground.

The pain jarred her, but she focused on it, and found herself suddenly free to move.

She leapt to her feet, one hand pulling out a bandoleer, and was about to let it loose when she noticed just who had arrived to save her.

"You…" She snarled.

"Me." Mistress 9 agreed, her own tone quite genial.

She blurred into motion, and Ukyo could barely keep up as she rushed towards Ranma.

One hand came up, ending in an open palm strike to the pigtailed boy's chest.

Ranma was sent flying into the wall, and as the gun clattered out of his hands and down to the ground, the silence was broken.

Ukyo could hear the blow reverberate down throughout the café, and mutterings could be heard as the rest of the martial artists were roused from their slumbering.

Ranma frowned as he flipped up to his feet, dropping to all fours to avoid Mistress 9's sweeping kick towards his neck, and diving towards the gun.

"So, where is she?" Mistress 9 spat out as a few strands of her hair effortlessly yanked the gun out of Ranma's diving grasp.

"Who?" Ranma rasped, and Ukyo was struck again on how different his voice sounded.

"Oh, don't play the idiot with me, daimon." Mistress 9's voice was full of scorn as she managed twisted around Ranma's punch to her solar plexus.

"I know you're reporting to Kaolinite, she told me so herself."

"Who?.."

Ukyo wasn't quite sure on who to side with.

On one hand, Mistress 9, or whatever the demon called herself, had already attacked them once, and had almost killed Kasumi, as well as being directly responsible for Ryoga's condition.

On the other…Ranma had just attempted to attack her and Kasumi both with some sort of gun, and, although it was coming from a demon, reportedly, he was working for someone else. But, Ranma wouldn't have done such things normally…._Mistress 9 must be controlling him still!_

She nodded, having made her choice.

She loosed the spatula towards Mistress 9, and smirked as it closed in.

At the last moment, however, purple tendrils ensnared the spatula, and with a twist, broke it in twain.

"Your time will come, Kuonji." Mistress 9 addressed her even as she continued to stare Ranma down, the two moving in tandem to gain position over each other. "However, I have more important things to deal with right now."

Ranma laughed suddenly, the sound harsh to Ukyo's ears.

"Something funny?" Mistress 9 inquired, her own expression unamused.

"They…still don't get it." Ranma continued to snicker. "I honestly thought she…" he gestured to Ukyo. "Would have gotten it after I nearly attacked her."

"I agree that some of them certainly are dense," Mistress 9 agreed as she suddenly lashed out with a fist, retracting it as Ranma danced away into a corner of the room. "But then again, most of them were too stupid to realize a lot of things."

"Hey!" Ukyo shouted reflexively, one ear catching the steps echoing through the hallway. "We were smart enough to get Ranma back…" She broke off. "Wait..."

"I think she might finally have it." Ranma uttered gutturally.

"It matters not." Mistress 9 spoke with finality, a sudden violet glow escaping from her hands.

She threw her hands out, and from them a large violet blast was set loose, shrieking through the air towards Ranma.

The boy attempted to dodge, only to find that while he had backed himself into a corner, Mistress 9 had not been just waiting for him.

Several hair strands had interwoven into a harsh braid, and they held him fast to the wall.

He let loose a howl of rage, and unleashed a green ki blast towards Mistress 9' own.

Mistress 9 shrugged, and suddenly **shoved** her hands forward.

Her blast, which had been interposed again Ranma's own, suddenly burst through the green ki, and impacted upon the boy, her hair loosening itself at the same time.

Ranma was sent flying through the window, the howl of anger replaced to a scream of pain.

However, as he fell, his blast continued its path, now altered by Ranma's movement, and Ukyo could only gape in confusion as the blast now shot towards her.

She dove to the side at the last moment, using her arms as shielding, but was still struck by the beam in the side.

She could only gasp in pain as the ki blast, unlike the brute force equivalent of a punch or kick, like she had anticipated and blocked for to some degree, instead, **tore** through her chest.

She vaguely could tell from the wooden shards lying on her clothes that she had been thrown through the wall of the Nekohanten down into the street, but even as she attempted to stand, her eyesight began to grow dim, her hair splayed out amongst the ground.

She slowly rested one hand on her side, and was not surprised to find it blood red when she pulled it away.

"Goodbye…Ranchan." She whispered out, and closed her eyes.

Even as she lay there, bleeding into the street, she could feel a presence coming close to her.

"Well now…" She could barely make out Mistress 9's smooth alto, as a hand found its way to her side. "Damnit, Ukyo, what's the fun in you dying off now, from that miserable impersonation?"

Ukyo coughed, blood dribbling from her chin.

"Are you?..." She garbled, coughing for air as more blood dribbled down her chin.

She received no answer, but she felt herself being lifted into the air, surprisingly gentle.

"Wha…"

"I suppose I can make use of this." Mistress 9 spoke thoughtfully, her voice calm even as shouts from the other martial artists became audible. "Yes…I think you'll fit into my plans quite nicely, given the right…adaptations."

Ukyo tried to protest, but even as she opened her mouth, Mistress 9 pressed a finger into the back of her neck, applying pressure.

Ukyo dropped to sleep without another word, her head drooping even as Mistress 9 turned back to face her companions, blood dripping down onto the concrete leaving a small trail.

Giving them a regal smirk, she disappeared once more into the shadows of the alleyway, just as a barrage of knives, short swords, shurikens, and chains were launched from above.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Mousse scowled as the demon disappeared into the shadows.

"Damnit, you old pervert!" He shouted, turning to Happosai. "Why the hell didn't you sense her come in?!"

"Shut it, fool!" Happosai shot back, frowning as he jumped down to the street, scanning it for some trace of mana. "As soon as I felt the wards being tripped, I woke you all up! She should have set the wards off before she even got through the perimeter!"

"Stop arguing." Nodoka yelled, running out through the front door to the café. "Genma, where is our son?"

Genma shook his head from his position up in the bedroom.

"Don't know, Nodoka." He grunted out finally. "However, I don't see any blood up here."

He frowned as something metallic reflected the moonlight off of it. Leaning down, he gently picked up the device.

"Master!" He called out, tossing the device to the wizened grandmaster. Happosai caught the device, staring at it curiously.

"What's this, then, Genma?"

Soun looked up from checking on Kasumi, his face a mixture of relief at his daughter being safe, and angry at the fight having been so close to her.

"I believe it's a firearm of some sort, master."

"I know that!" Happosai blustered. "But what's it doing here?"

"Mistress 9 must have used it!" Akane growled, aura visible in the night, her fists clenched. "Why else would it be there?"

"It possible," Shampoo agreed somewhat hesitantly, her voice indecisive. "But I not sure…"

"Akane?"

The Tendo daughter in question turned to her pocket, in which a walkie talkie was squawking urgently. Akane took the device out of her pocket placing it close to her ear.

"Nabiki?"

"Akane, what the hell happened?" Akane winced, yanking the device away from her eardrums. "Someone left their walkie on, and all I can make out is that something happened!"

"Ukyo's…" Akane hesitated. "Ukyo's gone."

"WHAT?!" Nabiki's voice shrieked. "Where the hell is she?!"

"The…the demon has her." Akane admitted quietly.

"Oh, this is just **spectacular**," Nabiki groaned. "She'd better be alright."

"Um…"Akane stumbled. "I don't know."

"You don't…" Nabiki fell silent. "I'm on my way over with Cologne. Damnit, as if I didn't have enough to worry about…"

"Why?" Genma spoke, snatching the walkie from Akane and holding it to his ear.

"Because apparently, there's another Senshi out there, who's either been captured or wounded by the demon already." Nabiki paused, even as the wind grew audible through the walkie talkie.

"Are Ranma and Kasumi alright?" She finally asked. Nodoka grabbed the device from Genma, and slowly spoke into it.

"Kasumi is fine, dear…" she spoke soothingly. "But Ranma…appears to be gone as well."

"Just perfect." Nabiki deadpanned. "Try not to have any more screw-ups before I get back. Hopefully, the lummox will have come back soon. You didn't see him get captured, right?"

After looking to the rest of son's friends, who shrugged, she nodded. After a few moments, Nabiki's voice came through.

"Yes or no?"

"Oh, sorry, no, he didn't." She assured the second Tendo daughter, and was met with a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least that's something. I'll be there in a few minutes with Cologne. Just stay put."

"Alright, Nabiki." Nodoka slid the walkie talkie down into her pocket, resting on one of the chairs outside the café.

"What in the name of Kami-sama is going on?" She wondered out loud, leaning on Genma's side.

"I'm sure it'll all work out." Her husband reassured her hesitantly, placing his hand on her own. "We'll get the demon soon, it's only a matter of time now."

"I know, Genma, I know…" Nodoka patted her husband's hand with hers. "But something just feels...wrong to me about this."

Genma shrugged.

"I'm sure Ranma will come back soon. The boy's tough enough to survive anything the demon could throw at him, mark my words."

He puffed out his chest in fatherly pride.

"He'll be back alright, probably whining about his wounds, the sissy of a…"

He quailed under the combined glare of his wife's, Akane's, and Shampoo's gazes.

"Uh…he'll be back."

"Thanks, Mr. Saotome." Akane muttered. "That's a great help."

"I'm going out." Happosai suddenly spoke out, stepping out into the street.

"But master!" Soun wailed. "Nabiki told us to stay here…"

Happosai's glare increased, along with his aura slightly manifesting, and Soun took a hasty step back.

"I have more important things to do."

With those words spoken, he was off, leaping onto a nearby roof, and quickly disappeared from view.

"Shouldn't someone go with him?" Nodoka asked, turning at the sound of a sigh, spotting Mousse exiting the alleyway.

"No, he's strong enough to hold off whatever comes his way." The teen sighed as he placed his weapons back into his robes. "Besides, the old hag wants us to stay here, and for once, I trust her judgment. It's better for us to stay in a group, there's less chance of the demon beating all of us at once rather than on our own."

He sighed, leaning against the wall.

"You're just saying that so you can stay by Shampoo." Akane accused. "Besides, you don't even like Ranma."

Mousse sneered. "Don't assume my intentions, little girl. Would you like to try me?"

A bonbori found its way into his head, and he crumpled under it.

"Stupid Mousse!" Shampoo sniffed, turning to Akane. "Kitchen…..Akane. We do as Great-grandmother says, yes?"

"I suppose." Akane conceded, grumbling, taking a seat of her own. "Nabiki'd better get here soon…"

"Hopefully, the Senshi will have some way of tracking her soon." Mousse spoke, rubbing the bruise rapidly forming on his head.

Suddenly, what remained of the front door slammed open in a violent rage, and a mysterious figure stomped out.

"Which one of you bastards knocked me out?!" Pantyhose Tarou roared, his eyes searching for someone to pound, aura flaring.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Hotaru frowned, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead as she finished her sweeping.

"Rei, did you hear that?"

"Yes, I think so." Rei responded, pausing from her making of a futon. "I think the others are finally here."

"Grandpa!" she yelled out, and her grandfather peeked his head in from another of the rooms.

"Are we having company, Rei?"

"Yes, gramps." Rei sighed. "And please, could you just leave us alone this time?"

"Whatever do you mean, Rei?" Grandfather Hino tried to look innocent, and one of Rei's eyes twitched.

"Grandpa…" She tightened her fist around a broom, and the old man winced.

"Alright, alright. I'll make sure to stay out of you girls' hair." Grandpa Hino slowly ambled out of the room, a dreamy smile on his face.

Rei sighed.

"How he's a priest, I still don't know."

Hotaru giggled.

"I think it's kind of funny…" She trailed off, looking out the window.

"Hey, it is them."

She was out the door almost instantly, running out to meet her parents.

"Haruka, Michiru!" She almost ran into Haruka, enveloping the older girl in a fierce hug.

"Hotaru-chan…" Haruka's voice was solemn, and Hotaru peered up curiously.

"What's wrong, Haruka?"

"Mistress 9…attacked the hospital where Ami's mother works." Michiru interjected, and Hotaru moved her gaze to the Senshi of Ice.

"Is she okay?" She asked earnestly, and relaxed slightly at Ami's nod.

"Yes, she's physically well, at least."

Hotaru sensed that there was more.

"But…" She asked carefully, and Ami averted her gaze.

"She found Mistress 9 walking alone on the street, and was the one to bring her to the hospital from Rei's wound."

"Oh…" Hotaru nodded in understanding, her gaze sympathetic.

"There's no way she could have known," Makoto interjected on Ami's behalf. "She was concerned about saving a life…"

"Yeah," Minako added in. "The hippopotamus oath and all that."

"Hippocratic." Ami corrected her gently.

"Yeah, that." Minako agreed, heading for the stairs.

"Is there anything besides that?" Rei asked casually, leaning on one of the trees next to the beginning of the steps.

"Not that we know of…" Haruka shrugged.

"Well, there is one thing…" Ami disagreed, her head tilted to the side for a moment. "Ah, yes… my mother mentioned that Mistress 9 appeared to have been fighting with a tall, red-haired woman. Does that ring any bells?"

Hotaru, whom had been walking back towards the temple, stopped in her tracks.

"Hotaru?" Usagi called out, her luggage in her hand. "Are you okay?"

Hotaru turned slowly, her expression similar to stone.

"The only person who Mistress 9 would be fighting with that I could think of would be…"

"Kaolinite." Ami finished, embarrassed that she hadn't put two and two together, and Hotaru nodded.

"But..but maybe it's not her." Usagi stuttered. "Maybe it's some rogue daimon or something!"

"A daimon that could hold her own with Mistress 9?" Haruka countered, skeptic, and Usagi's face fell.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Minako spoke up, even as the group headed for the temple. "We saw her get killed by Mistress 9!"

"But we saw Mistress 9 die also." Michiru spoke quietly. "And yet, she's returned as well."

Usagi sighed heavily.

"I wish Pluto were here…" She whispered to herself, before continuing the trek up to the meeting room of the temple.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

After a few minutes of unpacking and making sure everything was in order, the Senshi sat down in their typical arrangement.

"First things first." Haruka started the conversation. "We need some way of tracking 9 more accurately. Ami?"

"I'm working on it," Ami responded without looking up from the Mercury computer, her hands a flicker of motion over the keyboard. "But unless she's actively using her power, I can't get a…"

"Hold on." She paused, and as her eyes flickered over the notice on the computer, her face paled.

"There was a power spike consistent with Mistress 9…in the Nerima district."

"You mean?" Makoto asked somewhat hypothetically, and Ami nodded.

Usagi reached for her communicator, only for it to beep at her as soon as she picked it up.

"Hello?" She asked in flustered tones.

"Sailor Moon?"

Usagi recognized Nabiki Tendo's voice, and spoke quickly.

"Yes. Nabiki-san, we have to warn you, we think that Mistress 9..."

"Attacked, I know." Nabiki's voice was solemn. "She wounded Ukyo, and Ranma's nowhere to be found again."

Usagi's face fell.

"Is she alright?" She asked hesitantly, only to hear Nabiki growl.

"None of us know, the bitch demon took her with her."

"What?!" The Senshi shouted as one.

"Could you repeat that, please?" Ami spoke into Usagi's communicator, mindful of her own, left at her apartment.

"I **said** that Mistress 9 took Ukyo off somewhere."

"But why would Mistress 9 want Ukyo?" Usagi asked, her mind racing.

"I was hoping you would know," Nabiki admitted. "I can't think of any reason whatsoever."

"There was…something else." She continued, and all the Senshi leaned in close to the device.

"Something else?" Michiru asked calmly, and the Senshi could almost sense Nabiki's hesitation over the device.

"Happosai...the old grandmaster, reported that he saw Mistress 9 fighting with one of the Senshi on the rooftops, before the demon trapped the Senshi in some sort of shadow teleport."

The Senshi stared at each other in stunned silence.

"Hello?..." Nabiki called out snarkily.

"I take it I can assume that this is bad news." She added a few moments later.

"This Senshi…did she have green hair?" Usagi asked, struggling to remain calm.

"I'm not certain." Nabiki replied, her voice echoing through the tinny speakers. "Happosai went out right after I heard what had happened to Ukyo, and I can't get a hold of him."

"Thanks…" Usagi slowly dredged up a reply. "We'll be over shortly."

"Roger that." Nabiki's voice fell silent, and Usagi set the walkie down, her mind moving in on automatic.

After a few moments, Minako broke the uneasy silence that had fallen.

"We are so nailed."

This time, no one bothered to correct her.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna Meioh froze as the unnatural hum of a teleport made itself known.

Frowning, she risked one last glance at the bedframe, but unfortunately for her, the wood was still holding, and her mental estimate gathered that it would still take some time for her to bend the wood enough to get free from her current predicament.

Turning her head, she gathered her emotions up, forming it into the impersonal exterior that most of the Senshi associated her with.

"Hello, 9." She spoke smoothly as a leg stepped through the portal. "Have a nice…" She took in the rest of the situation, and her voice trailed off.

"Yes, it went rather well." Mistress 9 answered her unknown question, slowly lowering the bleeding mess of a girl in her arms to the ground.

"What happened to her?" Sailor Pluto's eyes narrowed. "Is that Kuonji?"

After Mistress 9's lack of a response, she continued.

"What did you do to her, you bitch?"

"Silence."

Mistress 9 had finally looked up to face her, and Setsuna shirked back at the controlled anger in the other woman's gaze.

"You will refrain from speaking further, Pluto, or I **will** shut your mouth for you."

Setsuna closed her mouth, watching as a violet glow appeared in Mistress 9's palms.

"You honestly think that she has a pure heart crystal?" She spoke finally, testing her limits.

The violet haired woman turned to her for a moment, her glare ominous, but made no comment, turning back to the young chef.

"Or don't you even care at this point?" Pluto persisted, and Mistress 9 stood up abruptly.

She stalked over to Sailor Pluto, and without warning, drove her fist into the bed frame an inch away from Setsuna's head, her fist going through the mattress, continuing on past the hard wood frame underneath.

She then leaned in close to Setsuna, until their faces were almost touching, violet hair gently falling to Pluto's abdomen.

"Don't abuse my hospitality, Pluto." She threatened, her tone full of quiet menace. "Now, will you be quiet, or do I have to help you along?"

Setsuna nodded wordlessly, and Mistress 9 smiled.

"Thank you."

With those words, she stood up, withdrawing her hand from the mattress.

She crossed back over to Ukyo.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Pluto." She called out as her hands once again began to glow. "Just give me a minute with Ukyo here."

"What…are you going to do to her?" Setsuna called out, her desire to help the girl stronger than the fear of Mistress 9's wrath.

Mistress 9 shrugged, giving no reply.

Her glowing hands slowly traced over the young girl's wounds, and Setsuna stared in fascination as the gigantic hole in the girl's side slowly began to close over.

"Healing…" she whispered to herself. "But that's Hotaru's…"

"Hotaru's gift?" Mistress 9 offered. "Let's just say mine isn't quite the same as hers, and required a bit of…debating with Galaxia on my part."

She finished running her hands over the wound in Ukyo's stomach, and as the glow faded from her left hand, the aura in her right hand took on a different appearance.

Mistress 9 closed her eyes, and when they had opened once more, a surreal violet glow had replaced them.

She placed her hand over Ukyo's temples, and as Setsuna watched in perverse fascination, the violet energy began shifting through Mistress 9's hand into the young girl's head.

Unable to turn away, the emerald-tressed defender of love and justice could only stare as more and more energy was transferred from the evil daimon to the impressionable young girl.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mistress 9 wordlessly removed her fingers from the girls' head.

"Now, then, Pluto…" She smoothly rose to her feet, walking calmly to the prostrate green-haired woman.

Taking a seat on the side of the bed, scant inches away from the helpless Setsuna, she gave off another small smirk.

"Where were we?"

End A/N

Well, hopefully, those of you who have been following along saw one main event coming…and just as hopefully, the other was a surprise.

Reviews are always appreciated, and I apologize for not earlier having responded to those that have done so in the past, I was unaware of my unintentional slights, if you considered it that, again, I apologize, I'm rectifying this mistake, starting…now.

And finally, for some reason, FF says my chapter is about 100 words shorter than my master copy...if something somehow got out of place and doesn't make sense, I'd appreciate knowing.

Later,

MV


	9. Bonding

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon Crossover by Metroidvania

Disclaimer: I'm just expressing an idea here, no profit intended.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 8: Bonding.

Akane had only seen Pantyhose Tarou a few times in the past, but it was glaringly obvious to her that the unfortunately named young man was quite upset.

"Tell me who did this **now**, or I'll kill every one of you!"

Maybe that was an understatement.

"Calm down, Taro!" She pleaded, backing away slowly even as Genma and Mousse fell into defensive stances.

In response, however, Taro did the exact opposite, his fists clenched, even as his eyes widened in recognition.

"Tendo?"

He took a breath slowly, and Akane sighed in relief…only to throw herself out of the way as a rock large enough to qualify for basketball status was hurled towards her at high speeds.

"So, it was the faggot?!" Taro cried out, his eyes furious.

"Excuse me?" Nodoka questioned, her own hand reaching for her katana. "I can assure you that my son does not engage in such a type of endeavor. It is far from….manly."

Taro sweatdropped.

"You're his mother?" He asked, his eyes twinkling in dark glee as his aura slowly faded. "Boy, do I have some stories for you…"

"I've heard them all." Nodoka replied calmly. "And no matter what you could say, nothing could change my view of my son."

Taro grunted, looking left and right, searching for his secondary nemesis.

"So, where is the transvestite anyways?"

"He's…" Akane paused, unsure of what exactly what to say. She didn't know how much the Senshi had filled the boy in on, or what he would do if he found his curse was gone.

"Airen…missing." Shampoo answered suddenly.

"And what's that supposed to…" Taro's loud voice quieted as the Chinese girl shot him a fierce glare, snapping his mouth shut with an audible click.

"Airen…was possessed by demon." Shampoo sighed. "Recently, demon split with Airen, and we found him."

"And that blast…" Mousse quailed under the glare now directed at him. "Saotome has just gone missing, you were unconscious through the demon's attack."

Taro snorted.

"I remember some magical blast." He muttered. "So it was either that diminutive old ghoul, or….him."

"Him?" Nodoka asked.

"Happosai." Akane answered absentmindedly, missing Genma's involuntary flinch.

"Well…I could care less about this demon, now where's that old pervert? I came up with a new technique that will guarantee me victory!"

"Happosai's currently tracking down the demon."

Everyone turned to see Nabiki enter out of the shadows, Cologne hopping down next to her.

"Oh, and Taro?" She added sweetly. "That magical blast was from the Sailor Senshi."

"The who?" Taro asked with a snort. "Whoever they are, sounds like they deserve a thrashing.

"They're all girls, Taro." Nabiki answered him, her voice even.

Taro shrugged.

"Doesn't matter….why shouldn't I beat the snot out of them?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes, even as Cologne hopped forward.

"Because they saved your life, boy."

"And just **how **did they do that?" Taro asked sarcastically, one hand reaching for his small flask of water.

"By removing your curse." Cologne spoke slowly, one hand reaching for her staff discretely as the others, recognizing her signal, resumed their own defensive stances.

"….What?"

Rather than the angry shout Akane had expected, Taro's voice was small, only surprise coloring his tone.

"They removed it, Taro." Mousse stated as he rose from his crumpled state, one hand rubbing the bump on his head while the other reached into a pocket, gently resting on several kunai. "Mine and Xian Pu's curses are gone as well."

"Apparently," Cologne added. "Whoever entered the pools was slowly losing energy, and the demon that possessed Son-in-Law would have been able to access that energy."

Taro looked up slowly.

"But I can still get cursed again…right?"

"No, Taro." Cologne's voice was low. "The pools have been cured. The curses are…gone."

Taro was silent for a few moments. Slowly, he stirred, and looked up to the heavens.

With a wordless scream, his aura flared into the air before fading as he slumped to the floor.

"That's it, then…" He spoke as he gasped for breath. "I'm cursed with this thrice-damned name forever…"

Akane could say nothing, knowing that the boy spoke the truth. Without his curse, or any water to re-curse himself, it would take Taro years to even conceive any chance of beating the grandmaster of Anything Goes.

Without his curse, though Taro was still quite formidable, he was far weaker than he had been.

"I'm sure we can convince, Happi, boy." Cologne muttered, her voice weary. "The fool is powerful, but if you stay with us, I'm sure we can come up with an opportu-"

"Shut the hell up."

Taro attempted to stand, only to find himself face first on the ground, Cologne's staff firmly implanted in his head.

After a moment, he stirred, and as he rose, Akane's breath caught at the emptiness in his eyes.

"Just leave me alone." He stated with finality, stepping back inside the Nekohanten. "If I ever see those Senshi, they're as good as dead…as will be any of you."

As he took a step, walking away into the darkness of the night, Akane made to follow him, only to find her distraught father holding her hand, preventing movement.

"Daddy, let me go!" She cried.

"No, Akane." Soun's voice was uncharacteristically firm. "Taro is not our problem, and it will probably be safer for him to stay away from us until this whole mess is sorted out."

"Soun is right, Akane-chan." Nodoka added, noting the girl's stubborn grimace. "I'm sure he'll be all right in the end, Ranma will be sure to help one of his friends when he's back."

Nabiki sweatdropped, but let the matter lie, not having the energy to correct the Saotome matriarch. She cleared her throat, and waited for silence.

"The Senshi will be on their way shortly, anyways." She spoke quickly. "And I don't want to have Taro go on a rampage, we're hard-pressed as it is, and I don't have any good news."

"Wonderful," Mousse groaned. "What else could go wrong, Kasumi's unconscious, Ukyo's gone, Ranma's disappeared, and now you're telling us you don't have anything?"

Nabiki calmly stared at him, and in a few moments, Mousse looked away sullenly.

"Stupid Mousse." Shampoo sniffed, turning her back to him and heading back into the Nekohanten. "Complaining not help anyone."

Mousse sighed as the object of his affections walked into the café, following her without a word, only to stop at Cologne's clearing of her throat.

He turned, and spotted to what the old ghoul was pointing to, the large hole in the room where Kasumi had been sleeping.

Sighing once more, he pulled out a hammer and nails, and disappeared behind the café.

Nabiki nodded in approval, turning back to Cologne.

"We have another problem."

Cologne said nothing, resting atop of her staff.

"How is it that the demon could show up so easily, bypassing the wards?"

Cologne could only stare at the blood-stained street in front of her, unable to voice the only possible way the demon could have bypassed the wards.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As Hotaru Tomoe, currently Sailor Saturn, leapt from one roof to the next, she couldn't help but wonder what in the name of Kami-sama was going on.

From Mizuno-sensei's description, it could only be Kaolinite that Mistress Nine was fighting.

But from her own distorted memories as well as the accounts by the Inners, Kaolinite had been killed by Mistress Nine herself.

_But then again, Mistress Nine is back, so you shouldn't really be all that surprised._ her inner voice chided her.

_But then… _her thoughts continued, unbidden. _They were supposedly fighting…but what does that mean?_

Hotaru knew that Kaolinite had no love for either her or the parasite which had grown in her body for her past lifetime, and from pressing of Usagi, she had found that the feeling was apparently mutual, as Mistress Nine had blasted the redhead with the power of the Grail without a second thought.

She took a moment to steady herself from the edge of a roof, and launched off again, noting with some detachment that the night was passing, and the morning sun would soon be making an appearance.

A memory assaulted her senses suddenly, of herself and Setsuna relaxing in each other's company while watching the ochre rays rise from the horizon, and it was all she could manage to hold back tears.

"Setsuna-mama…" She whispered, the winds robbing her voice of any strength. "Please, be okay…"

At the front of the impromptu parade, Moon stopped suddenly, leaping down towards the street.

With a start, Hotaru realized that they had once more arrived at the café in Nerima.

Moon nodded to the middle Tendo girl as she landed, closely followed by the rest of the Senshi.

"We have new information." Sailor Mercury added, her visor glowing as her eyes raced down, interpreting data.

"I suppose it's bad, too." Nabiki sighed, and motioned for the Senshi to follow her inside.

"Is that where…?" Hotaru asked shyly, pointing up to gaping hole in the Nekohanten, atop of which Mousse was attempting repairs, apparently so engrossed in his work as to miss their arrival.

"Yes," Cologne answered her as the other residents of Nerima drifted once more towards the large sitting room. "The demon was somehow able to bypass our wards."

"May I examine them?" Mars asked slowly.

"I'm well trained in the miko arts," she quickly added, at the knowing sign in the old Amazon's gaze.

"Very well." The old woman hopped over to a nearby window, pulling off a ward and throwing it towards Mars, who caught it surreptitiously.

After a few moments, Mars frowned.

"I can sense nothing wrong." She admitted. "It appears to be in full working order, you were sure to match tie your ki signature into the wards themselves?"

Cologned nodded wordlessly. "However, I was out on patrol, so I transferred the warning temporarily to my great-granddaughter, who **should** have woken up immediately."

"Great-grandmother, I!"

"Calm down, Xian Pu." Cologne interrupted her. "I know this is not your fault."

Shampoo lowered her eyes, slightly shamed at her own outburst.

Hotaru turned back to look at Mars, who still appeared at a loss.

"Um…" she voiced hesitantly, regretting her decision as soon as the eyes of every other person in the café turned to stare at her. "I'm not sure exactly what kind of demon Mistress Nine is, but isn't it possible that she was…invited?"

She half-expected someone to scoff at her outlandish idea, but after a few moments, she turned to Mars, whose visage appeared thoughtful.

"It's possible…" she admitted. "We're still lacking too much information on the subject."

The Senshi of Fire then turned to Cologne.

"Did Ranma have an open invitation to the café?"

Cologne exhaled slowly.

"Son-in-law was welcome here in most times, for obvious reasons."

Shampoo nodded her assent wearily.

"Airen always welcome to see Shampoo…"

"But that shouldn't have been enough to not trigger the wards immediately…" Mercury voiced. "Even our sensors didn't detect Mistress Nine until just moments before you called us, Nabiki-san."

"We don't have time for this!" Jupiter cried out, her hands clenched. "I mean, yes, she snuck through, but you can fix that, right Mars?"

Mars shot her a glare, but Jupiter refused to back down.

"After all, who knows what that damned daimon is doing right now?! We've got to find her!"

"Jupiter!"

Venus' voice was stern, a far cry from her usual joviality, and Jupiter slowly retreated, leaning against one of the walls.

"Yes," Mars said finally. "Mistress Nine must have been able to duplicate Ranma's energy signature, which is why the wards allowed him access. But now that we know that, we should be able to block her out with more success."

"Great," Nabiki interjected. "Now, I believe we have other matters to discuss."

"Nabiki!" Nodoka scolded. "This is a serious matter. We need to keep Kasumi and Ryoga-san safe if nothing else."

"And the faster we defeat Mistress Nine, the safer they'll be." Nabiki countered, her eyes hard as she turned to the Senshi.

"Now, I believe that Happosai mentioned that he had seen another Senshi besides the eight of you fighting Mistress Nine before disappearing…could this be true?"

Hotaru shot Uranus and Neptune a pleading gaze, and Moon caught it out of the corner of her eye.

"It's…possible." She admitted.

"But highly unlikely." Uranus added. "Our ninth member is one of the most experienced of our group. She hasn't been captured."

"And if Mistress Nine does have her as a hostage?" Nabiki pressed.

"Then we will deal with that as the time comes." Moon stated with finality, catching Hotaru's growing discontent. "Until then, our objective remains the same."

Nabiki held up her hands in a gesture of faux surrender.

"Fine, fine…Anything else?"

Akane stirred.

"Ah, there's one more thing."

Nabiki tilted her head.

"Ranma's…gone again, remember?"

"WHAT?!" Came the startled cry from the girls, Mars especially.

Akane nodded miserably.

"He took off after Mistress Nine, and he wouldn't wait for us…." She broke off, holding back sniffles. "I know Ukyo's his best friend, but we just got him back…"

"I'm sure he's fine, dear." Nodoka hastened to comfort her future daughter-in-law. "My son has always done things his own way, as a manly man should."

"That doesn't reassure me, Aunty." Nabiki drawled. "But Akane is correct, Ranma has vanished once more."

"Don't forget the gun!"

Mousse's voice echoed down through the staircase, and the heads of the Senshi moved as one.

"Agreed." Nabiki reached under the table, and pulled out the metallic device, her eyes catching Hotaru's shock.

"It's a pure heart crystal gun…" the Senshi of Saturn whispered.

"Indeed," Mercury concluded. "It matches several of the design schematics the Witches 5-who belonged to the same group Mistress Nine did," she quickly explained. "used to extract hearts in an attempt to bring about the Grail, a source of power the daimons wished to exploit."

"But why would Mistress Nine need one?" Venus asked suddenly. "I mean, don't you think she could have done that herself?"

"I think so," Moon recalled slowly. "But with her reappearance, can we be sure?"

Nabiki growled suddenly, her patience quickly wearing thin.

"This is just this get any more confusing?!"

Neptune stepped forward wordlessly, holding her mirror in one hand.

She placed it deftly on one of the booths, and the various martial artists gathered around as a pale, tall, red-haired woman appeared.

"This is Kaolinite." Neptune stated. "She is another daimon, the same category as Mistress Nine. Recently, one of our sources appears to have seen Mistress Nine involved in a fight with her."

"…I was actually being facetious." Nabiki choked out, rubbing her temples.

"But what does it mean?" Akane asked, curious. "If they're fighting, could it be possible this woman is good?"

"No." Neptune's voice was emphatic. "She's as rotten as they come."

"Then why?..."

"We don't know, Akane-san." Mercury interceded. "But we do know that since they aren't working together, at least we don't have to deal with a unified whole."

Nabiki was quiet for a few moments, digesting this new information.

"Divide and conquer, Nabiki-chan?" Soun asked cautiously.

"We can't afford to wait back for that type of approach." The Tendo daughter jerked her head towards Ryoga, who was still lying unconscious, his body pale as a sheet.

"We need to get his heart crystal back as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes," Mercury nodded. "His resolve is amazing, and he appears to have gotten a little better than he was…" she broke off, scanning him with her visor. "But he appears to be declining again."

She sighed.

"I can't explain these readings at all…it's like his heart crystal came back to him, only to disappear again."

"Maybe when Mistress Nine showed up?" Moon asked.

Mercury paused.

"It is a possibility." She acquiesced. "Proximity could have a factor, especially with Ryoga-san's ki capabilities."

"Then why are we sitting around here?" Jupiter spoke from the corner. "We've got to go find her, obviously!"

"We have no idea where either Kaolinite or Mistress Nine are, Jupiter." Mars reminded her. "Neptune can't find them with her mirror. I could try a reading…"

She turned to Cologne.

"Do you have a fireplace?"

"Ah, fire-reading…" Cologne cackled despite herself. "A real priestess, are you?"

Mars said nothing, her face impassive.

"Yes, yes, I think we can accommodate your needs." The Elder spoke. "Come with me."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Akane asked, looking impatiently over to Ryoga.

"Hope Mistress Nine uses her powers."

Nabiki yawned suddenly. "I'm…gonna lie down for a few minutes, Akane. I'm firing on empty synapses."

Dropping down onto one of the mattresses, her eyes closed immediately.

"Wake me if anything happ…."

Gentle breathing resumed as Nabiki's voice trailed off.

Akane sighed, turning to the rest of the Senshi.

"She can be….hard to deal with sometimes."

"It's quite all right," Venus replied cheerfully. "We can keep watch, so you can go back to sleep if you want to."

"But…"

"Catch some y's, Akane-san."

"Z's, Venus."

"Right." Venus nodded her thanks to Mercury. "Now go, get some more sleep, I promise as a defender of love and justice that you'll be fine!"

Akane's left eyebrow twitched, but she was still too tired to argue.

She made her way over to the mattress next to Ryoga.

_Ranma, you jerk….you better be okay!_

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Now, then...where were we?"

Setsuna Meioh gulped, the chains rattling slightly as she attempted to pull away from the all-to-close Mistress Nine.

"Ah, yes…why you're here."

"I don't have the grail, Nine."

Mistress Nine sighed.

"Honestly, if all I needed was the grail, I would have torn it from Moon's dying body. But even if I did acquire it, it would not suit my purpose."

"So then what do you want, Nine?"

Mistress Nine chuckled slowly.

"What I want, Pluto?"

"What if I told you I just wanted to be left alone?"

Pluto's mind raced.

"I would be lying, of course," Mistress Nine continued. "But there is something I must do."

She leaned in close, her eyes catching Pluto's own.

"And you will help me do it."

"Nine, there's no way in heaven or hell that I'd help you. I would rather die."

"Such resolve," Mistress Nine's voice was smooth, almost silken. "If only everyone was like you in this world…perhaps then, problems would be solved easier…"

"But," she continued. "You may be willing to die, but would you still deny me for your daughter's life?"

Adrenaline flowed through Setsuna's body, rage filling her mind as the bed frame creaked ominously.

"If you even touch her, Nine, I swear to Kami-sama I'll…"

"You'll what?" Nine sneered, her expression darkening. "Kill me again? I've already suffered defeat once, Pluto…it won't happen a second time."

Setsuna strained at her bonds angrily.

"You won't be able to touch her. The Senshi have gotten far stronger since they faced you."

"Oh, I'm aware." Nine smiled at her darkly. "I saw a great many things from the cauldron, Pluto…or should I say, Setsuna."

"Excuse me?" Setsuna attempted to feign ignorance on the outside even as her mind raced. If Nine knew who she was…

"That's right, Setsuna…I know all the Senshi's names. Quite a bargaining chip, don't you think?"

Nine moved in for the kill.

"Do you really want to be held responsible for all of their deaths, Setsuna? Could your soul withstand that kind of torture, knowing that you could have saved innocents?"

"I've seen millions die before while I stood by and watched, Nine." Setsuna shot back unthinkingly, ignoring the pangs of guilt that rose to the surface as she remembered the devastation of the Moon Kingdom.

"Oh?" Mistress Nine's voice was curious. "You mean you've lived this long? I must say, you've aged quite well…"

Her voice trailed off, and Setsuna watched, morbidly fascinated as a range of emotions swept through Nine's face.

Soon, though, all emotion ceased, and Mistress Nine turned back to match her stare, her violet eyes glowing slightly in the darkness of the room.

"But how did you live that long? I would guess that the Senshi live for quite a while beyond humans, but thousands of years?"

"No," Nine continued, her voice thoughtful as her eyes roamed over Setsuna's body. "I wouldn't think that they would live that long at all…time always wins, in the end."

She turned away from Setsuna, turning her gaze to the unconscious Kuonji chef.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

"Time is a fickle mistress," Setsuna voiced cautiously. There was no way Nine could know of the Time Gates…right?

"But everything in this world answers to something, don't they?" Mistress Nine asked out loud, her voice still that maddening mix of intrigue and curiosity.

"Before my death," she continued easily, coming back once more to sit next to the chained green-haired woman. "I can vaguely recall that Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were on their way to Mugen Gakuen inside a helicopter. In what should have been an unfortunate move for them, several daimons attacked the vehicle, igniting the fuel…yet, when it exploded, neither of the Senshi were on board, and indeed, had somehow appeared on the roof of the building."

She stopped, tilting her head to gaze at Setsuna.

"Would you know anything about that?"

Setsuna said nothing, staring back at Nine's expectant gaze evenly.

"You do, don't you?"

It was more a statement than a question.

Setsuna shook her head, only to stop as Nine's hand closed around her windpipe.

"Don't lie to me, Setsuna."

The hand didn't tighten, but the Senshi of Time could feel the muscles present in that grip, lying in wait for the slightest giveaway.

"I know you control the power of time from when you and the rest of the Senshi were absorbed by Galaxia."

The hand loosened ever so slightly, and Setsuna inhaled deeply, trying to regain control of her breathing.

"And I…have need of that power."

Setsuna's gaze widened in realization.

"What," she snapped. "So you can go back and summon Pharao…urk!"

The hand which had been loosening slowly tightened its grip, and Setsuna could only stare at Nine's darkening gaze.

"Do not mention that name, Pluto."

The hand remained tight as ever, and Setsuna began to see stars at the corners of her vision.

Suddenly, as her vision darkened, she saw another hand reach down and place itself on top of Nine's own.

"Stop…" The voice was one she didn't recognize, and Setsuna strained to get a glance at the newcomer.

Even as she did so, Nine's hand eased up, and allowed itself to be pulled away.

Setsuna gasped for breath once more, looking up in surprise.

For standing in front of her, directly behind Mistress Nine, stood Ukyo Kuonji.

And where the hole in her side had been, no trace remained.

"Ukyo..." Nine's voice was gentler than earlier, the affection clearly audible.

She took a step back, seemingly not minding as Ukyo hugged her frame from behind, the girl almost pressing her body against Nine's own.

"What did you do to her?" Setsuna asked after a moment, her voice raised.

"I told you, Pluto, that my healing was different than Saturn's."

Setsuna idly noted that Mistress Nine had once again reverted to the Senshi name rather than her own as the woman continued speaking.

"I cannot heal freely as Saturn does. For my energy to work, bonding is required."

"You…what?!" Setsuna's disdain was evident, her lip turning in disgust.

"Would you rather she had died?!" Nine countered heatedly. "If so, you're as much as a demon as I am, Pluto."

"Better to be dead and free than in the hands of one such as you!" Pluto fired back, the bed frame splintering even further as she struggled against her bonds.

Ukyo stepped forward, out of the shadows, the dark purple satin blouse shimmering in the slight light from the skyline.

"You…turned her into a daimon?!" Setsuna's voice was incredulous as she noted the choker around the girl's neck, complete with the 5-pointed black star.

"No," Ukyo answered easily, before Mistress Nine could say anything, holding a hand up to placate the taller woman. "She merely saved me from the daimon impersonating her host's body."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Would I lie, Pluto?"

Mistress Nine sounded almost hurt, though her smirk indicated awareness of her sarcasm.

"But before I will require your abilities, Pluto, Kaolinite will need to be taken care of. I don't want to leave any of this to chance, and if there's one good thing the bitch was good at, it was meddling in affairs beyond her status."

"Now, I don't suppose you'd be a good little girl and come with me without trying to run away every thirty seconds?"

Setsuna sputtered for a moment.

"I don't think so, no."

"Hmm…then it appears we're at an impasse. You're strong enough to get past Ukyo here," Ukyo shuffled slightly, but remained silent. "And I'm not planning on letting you escape and try to kill me. So, what shall we do?"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As Rei Hino settled down, she came to a realization.

Trying to assume the traditional meditation pose while in a seifuku was not only quite a feat, but also revealed far more flesh than would normally be appropriate for a miko.

She closed her eyes slowly, slowing her breathing and concentrating her energies into the fire before her, crackling quietly oxygen fed the hungry flames.

Imperceptibly, her posture slouched slightly and her breathing slowed further as she entered the meditative state.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the dancing flames before her.

"Show me Mistress Nine." She whispered, and slowly, a silhouette came into focus.

But rather than the tall woman she had expected, to her dismay, she saw instead Ranma standing amongst the flames, his eyes shining with both sadness and anger.

"Mistress Nine." She commanded, infusing more of her energy, and Ranma faded away, replaced by the villainess.

She watched intently, searching for any telling indication that would give away Nine's location.

As the picture widened, however, she spotted the Kuonji girl standing behind Ranma, her silhouette giving no indication of her state of captivity.

She tried to force more power into the flames, and was rewarded by another shape appearing a fair distance away from the other two.

She watched in fascination as Ranma once more appeared, holding something between his hands, staring at a point beyond the two.

Rei squinted slightly, recognizing the device as some sort of rifle as Ranma lifted it to his shoulder, took aim…and fired at a third person, slowly coming into focus.

Without warning, she found herself losing control of the vision, blackness swirling throughout the fire, the darkness attempting to subsume her.

She tore herself away from the fire, falling backwards towards the wall as the fire returned to its normal color.

"What is it, Sailor Mars?" Cologne asked worriedly.

Rei ran one hand through her, her eyes darting back to the fire for a moment before turning to face Cologne.

"I know where Mistress Nine is. Get everyone ready."

Cologne nodded slowly, hopping to the other room as Mars collapsed against the wall, her breath coming in short gasps.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Deep in the bowels of a darkened lair, a blinking light slowly dimmed.

"Now that that's taken care of," A woman's shadow fell across the glowing tank. "It's time for some distraction, wouldn't you agree?"

Bubbles erupted from the tank, and the woman let out a shrill laugh.

"Remember your instructions..."

Pale red nails brushed against the tank, almost lovingly.

"Make sure to give the Senshi a good show for me…"

Heels clicked against the cold cement floor as the woman moved to some sort of communications device.

"Have you found her?"

"Roger," a guttural voice replied. "She's got two targets with her, some girl, and what looks like one of the Senshi."

"Really?" The woman sounded interested. "Then target the Senshi first."

"Are you certain you don't want to target Mis-"

"Do it!" The woman hissed. "Or I'll remove that pure heart crystal and use it to power a daimon more willing to obey."

"Besides," she purred. "This way, the Senshi will be guaranteed to stay out of my hair for a while longer, busy as they will be with Nine."

"…Roger." The voice was now emotionless. "Taking the shot."

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As Mistress Nine and Sailor Pluto continued to stare each other down, Mistress Nine's plan caught up against Pluto's stubbornness, the reborn Ukyo Kuonji sighed wordlessly, moving to one of the meager hotel chairs.

Mistress Nine had opened her eyes, and she knew that deep down, her Ranchan was in there somewhere.

As for that daimon...

She bared her teeth at the memory, hands clenching into fists.

He would pay.

As she turned to glance out at the window, catching the first rays of the morning light streaming through the cloud cover, she hesitated for a moment, catching an unusual glint from the building across the street.

"Mistress!"

A concentrated beam of light burst through the window, heading straight for the immobile Sailor Pluto.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Sailor Pluto lurched as the beam pierced through her neck, narrowly missing her head.

As she relaxed lifelessly onto the bed, Ukyo watched fearfully as the Senshi gave out a low moan, as if in great pain, though the laser appeared to have done no actually damage.

She turned to her Mistress worriedly.

"Mistress?"

Mistress Nine's eyes were cold as she turned to the window.

Another blast rocked towards the room, but preternatural reflexes were now honed to the danger at hand, and Mistress Nine yanked Ukyo down to the ground, saving her from the blast.

"Stay with her. If any harm comes to her…"

The threat was technically unspoken, but Ukyo understood it well enough.

Mistress Nine stood to one side, dark energy racing up her sides and into her hands, her hair whirling to an invisible breeze.

A hand gestured towards the window, and the shattering of glass pierced the quiet of the closed room.

Mistress Nine leapt out towards the rooftop, twirling in midair to dodge another blast from the sniper even as she fired off another energy blast, this one aimed straight at the prostrate foe.

At another gasp from Sailor Pluto, Ukyo quickly rushed over, remembering her Mistress' warning.

However, she could only stand helplessly as a slight red glow began to pour out of Sailor Pluto's chest.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Mistress Nine leapt towards the sniper, one foot extended in a smashing kick, tearing through the cement roof like it was paper as the sniper desperately rolled out of the way, the cloak, which had been hiding the shape of the body, fell away to reveal a muscular young man, wearing a red silk shirt and black pants.

"You." Nine spoke the words as a curse.

"Me." Ranma-Daimon called out. "Tell me, Nine, how is that girl doing?"

"Far better than you will be." Nine countered, strands of violet hair hurtling through the air as fast as knives.

The daimon back flipped, launching a blast of green energy towards the incoming needles, incinerating them.

"I do so hate loose ends," Mistress Nine commented as she launched a ball of violet energy towards the daimon. "But at least I can get some exercise."

The Daimon grunted, barely avoiding punch to the solar plexus, sliding to the side for a planted kick to the ribs.

Nine deflected it neatly, forcing the Daimon's arm at an unnatural angle as the momentum carried him past her even as his arm hung loose at his side.

"Hahaha!"

Nine raised an eyebrow, even as behind her, her shadow began to twist and distort.

"Something funny, besides the fact that you've already lost?"

"You think a broken arm will stop me?"

The daimon grabbed the lame appendage with its other hand, and with a grunt, broke it off completely.

Nine stared evenly as green energy seeped out of the wound, and slowly, coalesced into the shape of the arm which had only moments before been torn off.

"With this fool's energy, I can't be killed, Nine. And after I deliver you to Kaolinite, she'll have enough power to…"

"To what?" Nine asked, even as the shadows around the daimon became more distinct.

"It doesn't matter," the daimon sneered. "I just have to beat you first!"

Raising his arms to the heavens, the green energy formed an aura around his form, quickly building to formidable heights.

"Perfect Shi Shi Hakoden!"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"We've got to hurry!" Cologne shouted both to the Senshi and the other martial artists accompanying her. "I can sense a large ki buildup, Ranma must be close!"

"That's not all," Mercury paused once more, triangulating her data. "Mistress Nine is really close by. They must be fighting!"

Suddenly, without warning, the whole world surged green, followed a few moment later by a concussive force strong enough to knock everyone off their feet.

"What was that?" Jupiter cried out, shakily attempting to stand.

"Pig boy final move," Shampoo spoke slowly, checking herself for wounds. "We need to help Airen now!"

Meanwhile, Usagi was slowly helping Hotaru to stand.

"Saturn, are you alright?"

She noted with some concern that Hotaru's eyes were unfocused, but paused as she heard mumbling.

"She's….she's going to…."

Hotaru's eyes shot up, and she took off immediately.

"Saturn!" Neptune cried out, leaping after her, followed closely by Uranus and the rest of the Senshi, the martial artists quickly left in their wake.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As the remnants of the green mist cleared, a large crater on the roof became visible. However, the impact appeared to be merely a half sphere instead of the normal globe of destruction, as if the devastation had been controlled to some degree.

The Daimon, though breathing heavily, shouted in triumph.

"Ha! Kaolinite will have no choice but to promote me after this!"

"For what, sheer inadequacy to perform up to par?"

Mistress Nine stepped out of the green remnants easily.

She looked as if she had merely stepped out of the building door; not even a piece of her clothing was singed.

"I told you, you've already lost."

"Not yet!"

"I'll just put you out of your misery now…I'd say I'm being more merciful than Kaolinite would be…but then I'd be lying."

Mistress Nine's outfit shimmered, weaving and changing, and after a few moments, a dark seifuku appeared, taking the place of her blue blouse and gray pants.

"NINE!"

The woman in question paid the shouter no attention, even as the Senshi landed as one on the same rooftop.

"In the name of the Moon, we will punish you!"

"That was shorter than your last speech, Moon…losing your originality already?"

"You don't deserve a second one, Nine." Moon shot back. "You won't be allowed to hurt any more innocents!"

Even as she finished speaking, Mars fired off a Flame Sniper, only to watch as Nine appeared to blur to one side, avoiding the path of the arrow.

"I don't have time for weaklings," She spoke with finality, her teeth clenched.

"Make time." Jupiter shot, cracking her knuckles.

She rushed forward, left hand feinting a blow to the head even as her right swept towards Nine's kidneys.

Nine flowed around the attack like it was water, tripping Jupiter's extended foot, and complimenting it with an elbow to the spine.

The brunette let out a cry as she was forced to the ground, pain seeping through her nervous system.

Nine stepped away calmly, avoiding the golden chain whipping past her by inches.

Once it had landed, she reached with one hand, and yanked on the chain, hard.

Venus couldn't let go in time, having expected to have applied pressure to the captured Nine, and fell on top of the just rising Jupiter, forcing the two of them to the ground in an ungainly heap.

"Tell, me, how is Ryoga doing, Shampoo?" Mistress Nine asked, noting that the rest of the newcomers hadn't made a move to challenge her yet, and that strangely enough, the daimon also remained in place.

"He be better when you dead, demon!"

"I rather doubt it… I don't have his pure heart crystal, after all."

"And why should we believe you, Nine?" Uranus spoke through clenched teeth.

"You mean my Senshi outfit doesn't automatically win me your trust?" Nine sounded disappointed. "I'll have to ask Chaos for a refund, then."

"Chaos?" Mercury questioned, curious despite her best efforts. Although it was themed along the lines of their own, the pure darkness reminded her more of Galaxia's minions.

"Well, where else do you think I got it?" Nine replied, pausing.

"You believe me, don't you, Saturn?"

Saturn merely stared back at her, violet eyes meeting in a silent clash of wills.

"Saturn?" Moon asked worriedly.

"She's…"

The daimon chose that time to move.

He knew that the Senshi would make no move to stop him, thinking that he was still Ranma Saotome, and that Mistress Nine was suitably distracted.

He leapt forward, pulling a small pistol out of his sleeve, aiming directly for Nine's heart.

Before he could pull the trigger though, he felt a sudden pressure on his legs.

He looked down, and found that somehow, the shadows had pooled around his feet, and utterly trapped him there.

"This does look familiar, right?" Nine gestured towards the pistol. "Oh, I don't know, from the Nekohanten, perhaps?"

The Senshi and the martial artists stood, stunned.

"I bet you were trying to use that on him!" Jupiter shouted, regaining her footing and glaring accusingly. "He probably wrestled it away from you before we got here!"

Mistress Nine let out a disbelieving snort.

"You're kidding."

She sighed.

"Come on Cologne, tell me you're not being blinded by age old prejudices here."

"Stealing Son-In-Law's memories, demon?"

"Don't have to, old-timer. Look at his aura….what color is it?"

Nine turned to the disguised daimon.

A moment later, she leapt to the side as Uranus slashed forward with the Space Sword.

She grabbed both of the blonde's arms ruthlessly, and thrust the Senshi off balance.

Yanking Uranus up with her intertwined tendrils of hair, Nine held the blonde's own sword in front of her throat, clenching at Uranus' wrist hard enough that the blonde swore it would break any second.

"I see we have problems with listening politely." She spoke calmly. "But you will let me talk, or I will slit dear Uranus' throat."

The Senshi tensed, the threat clear.

"Back off." Nine commanded, moving the blade closer. "Now."

She nodded as the Senshi took several steps back.

"Green is his color…and I'm assuming someone told you that Ryoga's ki is normally green, depression, right?"

"Now watch what happens when I do…this."

She tossed Uranus towards the astonished Senshi, and in the same instant, a jagged blast of darkness tore loose from her hands, and before anyone could react, ripped right through the daimon.

With a cry of despair, the daimon began to smoke, finally disappearing a few moments later in a blinding flash of sickly green light.

A glowing crystal gently descended to the floor along with a tendril of black hair, before the former was carefully grabbed by a black, clawed hand.

"Ryoga, Ryoga," Mistress Nine sighed. "Always too noble for your own damn good."

She tossed the crystal up into the air with the demonic appendage, catching it deftly. "But now you'll finally be of some use to me."

Venus' chain flashed once more as the crystal was tossed up a second time at far faster speeds, wrapping around the delicate crystal and yanking it back towards the chain's owner.

"You nap, you lose!" Venus called out, holding the pure heart crystal behind her back cautiously.

"You were holding out on me, Venus…" Mistress Nine commented idly, turning face the Senshi once more. "And here I thought you didn't really know how to use that whip."

She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, the seifuku faded back into her normal outfit.

"But I don't have time to play with you all right now; I've got more important things to discuss. Besides," She separated her bangs with one hand, tossing her hair back. "I have far better energy sources than that stubborn fool anyways."

"And besides," She continued, stepping into the shadow of the rooftop access door. "How fair is this? All of you on me?"

"Where Airen?!" Shampoo cried, moving forward only to be stopped by a staff held in front of her.

"Not now, Great-granddaughter." Cologne narrowed her eyes. "We will fight her on our terms, and we will find son-in-law's location. Ryoga will die without this crystal."

They were interrupted by slow laughter.

"Pride will get you nowhere, Cologne." Nine stifled her laughter with one hand, clearing her throat. "But if you can't get it now, I'm not going to dumb it down any further."

She leaned back against the shadowy wall, closing her eyes.

"Where…"

"What was that, Saturn-chan?"

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

Saturn leapt forward, Glaive materializing in her hands as she dove towards the door.

Nine's eyes widened at the appearance of the Glaive, and she quickly side-flipped out of the way of the charging polearm, watching as the entire doorway collapsed at the slightest touch of the blade.

"I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about, Saturn…" She bluffed effortlessly, but Saturn's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Don't lie to me!" She shouted, brandishing the Glaive above her head. "I can feel it, you know where she is!"

Nine's stare turned from curious to expressionless, and Saturn could only gasp in pain as darkness suddenly invaded her mind, forcing her to her knees, clutching at her temples in a vain attempt to lessen the agony coursing through her mind.

"Meddling in other's minds, Hotaru-chan?"

The voice came through as clear as day over the pain, even as with her eyes, she watched Mistress Nine deftly avoid an Oak Evolution thrown by Jupiter as well as a Crescent Beam from Venus without speaking a word.

"I would advise against such tactics in the future…my mind is not a place for one such as you."

She watched still as Mistress Nine avoided a blurry cane attack from the old Amazon, countering each thrust with utter precision before loosing a blast of violet energy, which the old woman was forced to retreat from.

"Unfortunately, you won't live to regret your…."

A spasm of pain…but not her own, which was suddenly lessening.

She was suddenly able to stand, and did so weakly, Neptune immediately knelt at her side as Uranus stood at the ready.

She shivered at the memory, even as Nine suddenly mis-stepped, falling to her knees, taking the brunt of a Space Sword Buster to the chest, flying backwards and creating a crater in the cement perimeter.

"PLUTO!"

The enraged scream came from nowhere, tearing its way through Nine's vocal chords unexpectedly, causing Moon, who had been charging her own finishing attack, to pause in surprise.

Saturn's instincts flared, even as the first sign of a violet and black mixture appeared in Nine's outstretched hands.

"Everyone, DOWN!" She cried, bringing her Glaive out in front of her.

The sphere in Nine's hands doubled, and quickly tripled in size until it was at least as tall as Nine herself.

The ball snapped forward, flying towards the reassembled group.

"Silence Wall!" Saturn shouted, holding the Glaive in front of her as she felt the massive blast detonate.

The darkness tore at the shield even as the violet energy threatened to slip past, until Saturn felt Moon add her own considerable strength to the shield.

What felt like an eternity later, Saturn felt the pressure around the Silence Wall give way and dissipate, and she nodded her thanks to Moon as she stepped forward, brandishing the Glaive menacingly.

After a cursory scan, she could neither detect Mistress Nine through visual means, and all she could feel at the back of her mind was a small twinge of discomfort when she attempted to feel for her foe.

"Where is she?" Jupiter called, falling back into a defensive position next to Moon. "Mercury?"

"She's still close," Mercury responded, her visor blinking across the street. "She's…"

A violet flash suddenly illuminated one of the rooms, only to fade moments later.

"She's gone," Mercury reaffirmed Saturn's feeling.

"We'll head back to heal Ryoga," Cologne interceded.

"Go on ahead," Moon muttered, looking pensive.

"Moon-san?"

"It's…nothing." Moon said finally. "We'll see if we can't get another lock on her position. We'll call you if anything happens."

"Very well," Cologne nodded. "Come, Shampoo."

The Chinese girl accepted the pure heart crystal from Venus carefully, marveling at its crystalline latticework.

She gave a nod of respect to the Senshi before leaping to the next rooftop, followed shortly after by Cologne.

"Now, then," Neptune spoke up a few moments after the two martial artists had left. "Saturn, what in the name of Galaxia just happened?"

Saturn stiffened.

"You know that I've been able to sense her presence somewhat." She started cautiously, and the other Senshi nodded in assent.

"Well, I could sense that she knew something when I mentioned Set-Pluto-san, so I tried to force the information through the link. And then…" she shuddered at the memory. "The darkness fell upon me, trying to devour me."

"She's so dark," She repeated. "There's no love, warmth...nothing!"

Neptune quickly enveloped her into a fierce hug, and Saturn relaxed into it instinctively, letting the tears flow silently.

The Senshi digested this information quietly.

"If that really was a daimon," Mars started. "Ranma must still be possessed by Nine."

"It must be," Mercury agreed. " Which means there's still hope…"

"But Ranma doesn't have Saturn's magic to help expel the daimon." Uranus countered as she stepped on the edge of the rooftop. "Come on, let's check that room out."

Moon nodded slowly, and they quickly leaped over the gap to the edge of the building, scaling up to the room devoid of window glass.

"Say," Venus asked Mars as they leapt over. "Why do you think Nine suddenly fell?"

"I don't have a clue," Mars admitted. "Maybe she was running low on energy, she doesn't have any magical reserves, remember?"

Venus nodded, falling silent as they leapt from their current location up to the next floor, her honey blonde hair swirling in the slight breeze.

"I'm okay, Neptune." Saturn spoke quietly to Neptune, the only two left on the original building, smiling to the older girl as she released the hug. Saturn took a deep breath, and leaped over, landing in time to hear Jupiter speak.

"But what's to say Nine can't do the same thing?" Jupiter asked worriedly. "I mean, look what happened to you!"

She turned to Mars.

"You're the miko, don't you have any wards or anything to prevent possession?"

Mars frowned as she entered the room, Flame Sniper held at the ready.

"Theoretically, it sounds less like possession and more like a remnant from when Nine was inside of Saturn. But from what Saturn's describing, it's more of a limited access shared telepathy."

"Um…could you repeat that, in slightly less obscure terminology?" Venus asked without embarrassment.

"Basically, Nine and Saturn can vaguely sense each other, and that's about it. If they want to go deeper, they have to…try and invade the other's mind, for lack of a better term."

"That's only hypothetical," Mars corrected. "But it sounds about right."

She paused.

"What the heck are those?"

White gloved fingers examined the ends of chains, clearly attached to bedposts, but each and ever of the four links was severed.

"Someone was held here." Uranus noted. "But they broke out…"

"Pluto." Saturn spoke with conviction.

A hand smashed into the wall, causing the other Senshi to start in surprise.

"DAMNIT!" She was right here, and we had no idea!"

The room rocked as Saturn pounded it once more.

"And Nine took her again!"

"Saturn…"

Hotaru turned to face Usagi, the anger in her eyes evident.

"Pluto won't give up, and we won't either."

"Princess…"

"She's a fighter. And she loves us far too much to give up to Nine."

"I…"

"We'll find her, Saturn."

Just as Hotaru was about to respond, the Mercury Computer beeped.

"Mercury?"

"I've got a dark energy reading…approximately 800 meters to the east!"

"Then let's go."

The Senshi leapt out of the window, leaving only Moon and Saturn present after a few moments.

Moon was about to leap out herself when Saturn stepped forward.

"Moon…thank you."

"I know this is hard," Moon admitted, her gaze sympathetic. "But we have to stay strong."

Saturn nodded her assent, and was rewarded by one of Usagi's heart-winning smiles.

"We should go," She muttered, and Usagi nodded, leaping out the window, barely missing the window frame. Saturn, sighing at Usagi's still-present bouts of clumsiness, followed her a moment later.

//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna Meioh dug the Garnet Key deeper into Ukyo's neck, using her leverage to cut off the young woman's blood flow, pressing the girl deeper into the floor.

She gritted her teeth at the young woman's strength. Almost anyone else would have fallen unconscious by now from the pressure and lack of oxygen, but it looked as if her theory of the girl being a daimon was correct.

In her momentary musings, her grip slipped ever so slightly, and Ukyo reached desperately for the Time Key, only to shriek as electricity danced along her body.

Setsuna smirked, repositioning her grip. The Time Key knew who its mistress was, and who was not worthy to wield it. The Garnet Orb shimmered in the dim lighting, and Setsuna began preparation for a Dead Scream.

Her captive went still suddenly, sagging against the ground.

Setsuna tensed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

After a few moments, more, she listened in the stillness, some part of her mind idly noting that the fighting outside had stopped.

She looked up, cocking her head and throwing her emerald bangs behind her ear.

"H-"

A sudden flash of violet light blinded her, and she winced, turning her face to avoid the glare, blinking quickly in an attempt to remove the dots from her vision

Pain erupted in her shoulder, driving her backwards into the bed, and Setsuna gasped as the wind was driven out of her lungs in tandem to the creak of the abused wood.

At the same moment, gravity lurched alarmingly, something Setsuna usually associated with an off-kilter teleport.

"I see you've managed to get free," a familiar voice rasped. "Though I'm not quite sure how.

Pluto sucked in air greedily, trying to get a substantial breath in, at the same time curling her hands around her staff.

She swung accurately, only to have a slight pressure on her glove.

She altered her swing to the presence, and was rewarded with the connecting sound of metal impacting flesh.

As her breathing returned to normal, Setsuna looked across the room to Mistress Nine.

"I figure I have some bargaining room now, Nine." She commented as she rose, Garnet Key held in front of her defensively.

"If you really do need me, you know you can't kill me. I, on the other hand," She paused, savoring the reversal. "have no such compunction."

"Setsuna," Nine's admiration was evident. "I was wondering on this earlier, actually."

"And what I've found as my best option," she continued. "Really, the only thing I do have, are your feelings for the other Senshi, especially Hotaru. I've already beaten you utterly before, Pluto, what makes you think this time, or the next time, or even the next, will be any different?"

"You don't have Chibiusa's heart crystal or Hotaru's own energies." Setsuna countered. "In fact, I'm betting your reserves are near gone."

"Try it, Setsuna. Come on, whisper sweet nothings in my ear."

Pluto merely stared unamusedly at Mistress Nine, who shrugged helplessly.

"I knew insults wouldn't work, so I tried something new to throw you off balance. Unfortunately, it appears I'm missing something, still…"

"Dead Scre-"

Pluto found her attack interrupted as a large metal presence came into contact with the back of her head.

She collapsed forward into Nine's waiting arms, and quickly found herself utterly immobile.

"Finally falling for me?" Nine whispered suggestively even as her hand squeezed down on Pluto's wrist, forcing her to drop the Garnet Key.

She lifted Pluto up by her arms, frowning at the woman's uncooperativeness, and after a moment, her hair assisted, pushing Pluto into one of the nearby chairs of the new room and securely fastening her.

Ukyo stepped forward, smiling to Mistress Nine as she replaced the large bladed ebony halberd to her back.

"As I was saying, all I have is the threat of harming your loved ones over your head to motivate you. And believe me," She stressed. "You don't know how good a motivator that is until you've experienced it personally."

Pluto closed her eyes defiantly.

"Do your worst, Nine, I've seen millions die, remember?"

"But your own daughter?" Nine's voice was as smooth as silk. "Now, open your eyes."

"This would have been much less invasive if you'd have cooperated." She remarked after a few moments as Pluto remained absolutely still.

Before Setsuna could wonder the implications of that remark, she felt a pair of lips descend upon her own, followed by racing darkness.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna awoke slowly, blinking her eyes warily.

She attempted to summon her key, only to find herself alone in the utter blackness present before her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught the slightest flicker of movement, and whirled around, hands held up defensively.

Even as she stared into the darkness, a slight twinge was the only warning she recieved.

_Paindarknessscaredohkamithepainithurtsithurtsithurts!_

Setsuna screamed in agony as she found herself under attack, writhing in pain.

_Darknesspainohkamiscaredfearfuldarknesspain!_

Another wave shot through, much worse than the last, and Setsuna let out an involuntary sob, pain forcing her to her knees.

_Paindarknessdarknesspainithurtsohkamiit__**HURTS**_

She could only lay there, tears streaming down her face as she slipped further into the blackness.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna awoke once more, and this time, could make out a small girl standing under a spotlight a few meters away.

"Hotaru!" she cried out after recognizing her daughter, scrambling shakily to her feet.

"Hello, Setsuna-mama." Hotaru replied evenly, even as a silhouette formed behind her.

Before Setsuna could even cry out, the darkness enveloped the bringer of the Silence, and Setsuna was instantaneously at her daughter's side.

"Ithurtsmamamakeitstoppleasemama,"

"No…" Setsuna whispered. "No, she couldn't, she'd never get to you, this isn't real..."

"Mamamakeitstopithurtsohkami…"

Hotaru's voice lapsed into pained moans, straining for the comfort of contact.

"It…hurts…Mama"

Tears streamed down Setsuna's cheeks as she watched her daughter suffer.

"Stop it!" She screamed into the night sky. "I'm begging you, STOP IT!"

Mistress Nine appeared wordlessly.

"I want access to the Time Gate, Setsuna."

"I CAN'T!" Setsuna cried. "I don't have the access keys!"

"Liar." Mistress Nine accused, her gaze condemning.

"I DON'T!" Setsuna shrieked. "I got rid of them after Chibiusa left!"

Mistress Nine searched her eyes.

"Setsuna…" She spoke quietly, her voice almost drowned out by Hotaru's ranting. "Will you swear to help me get rid of Kaolinite?"

Hotaru cried out pitifully, body contouring into the fetal position.

"In return, I will promise to leave the Senshi alive." Nine promised. "I swear it upon pain of death."

She traced a nail along the line of her finger, blood intermingling from the shallow cut.

"Swear it, Setsuna."

"IthurtsmamahelpmepleasemamahelpMAMA!"

Swear it!"

"MAMAITHURTSPLEASEMAMA!"

"SWEAR IT!"

"I SWEAR, JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!"

The backdrop and Hotaru faded away instantly, leaving only Nine, holding out a small knife in front of her.

Taking it wordlessly, Setsuna duplicated the cut, shivering in the cold.

Her body completed the cut robotically, and Nine's hand clasped her own, the blood intermingling slightly as magic snaked up Setsuna's arm, signifying that the pact had been completed.

Blackness took over her vision once more, and Setsuna's eyes rolled into the back of her head, feeling strong arms catch her even as she lapsed into the safety of unconsciousness.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Ukyo gazed worriedly as Mistress Nine released the kiss gently, pulling Setsuna off of the chair and onto the bed.

"Mistress?" She voiced cautiously. For a moment or two, Nine's eyes had seemed almost…sad…

Nine turned to face her, and Ukyo immediately dismissed the notion.

Nine's eyes were as cruel as ever, a dark smirk adorning her face as she laughed.

"I've done it, Ukyo. Pluto has fallen."

"How did you do it, Mistress?"

"Simple, I merely showed her the Neko-ken from the boy's mind, and allowed her to imagine it happening to her daughter."

Ukyo's breath caught in her throat.

"Mistress, are you well?"

"I'm fine."

"Mistress," Ukyo pressed. "Are you sure that was the right thing to-"

"Do not question me, Ukyo." Nine interrupted, her voice dropping sinisterly. "Kaolinite is on the prowl, the damned martial artists are after their precious Ranma, and the Senshi are determined to destroy me at all costs. My reasoning is my own."

"My apologies," Ukyo stuttered. "I only asked for concern…"

"I'm touched," Nine replied dryly. "But you will refrain from doing so again, is that clear?"

"Of course." Ukyo answered without hesitation, reminded of her fiancé for an instant before the image faded.

"For now, we wait for Pluto. I need to regain some energy, wake me if you sense anything."

Before Ukyo could answer, Nine had already drifted into a meditative state, her head drooping slightly even as the room temperature suddenly rose imperceptibly.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Slow laughter echoed through the darkened space as Kaolinite moved through the shadows, before sitting down in her chair.

"So, Nine, strong enough to defeat your double, perhaps I did underestimate you somewhat."

She smirked.

"You being with Sailor Pluto is a surprise, as is saving that girl….if I didn't know better, I'd say you've gone soft."

Her gaze darkened as she remembered how casually Nine had attempted to destroy her, as well as how close the body-possessing woman had actually come.

Various screens came to life, replaying the her own indecisive battle with the Messiah of Silence as well as the daimon's short-lived venture before the connection had been forcibly terminated.

"I admit, you're playing your hand close to your chest as usual, and I'm quite intrigued at how you're finding enough energy to even remain standing, let alone fighting the Senshi to a standstill…"

"But I know your weakness now," she turned a sinister gaze back to the various rows of tanks, each embedded with a small pinkish-purple egg, and then turning to a large cage in the back corner. "And I'm going to capitalize on it."

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Mousse grumbled loudly as he stepped back from the finished wall.

"Stay and make sure our hospitality remains honorable? What kind of excuse is that?"

"I don't need protecting, I'm a martial artist too!" Akane agreed angrily, her fist clenching spasmodically.

_Well, I guess I can see the old ghoul's point_ Mousse thought to himself as he leapt down to the floor.

Due to the lack of peripheral vision, Mousse's only warning was the whisper of an object flying through the air.

He attempted to knock it away, only to stop as his eyes caught up with his instincts.

"Old mummy, what are you trying to pull?"

"To catch you slacking." Cologne replied solemnly.

"Why are you back?" Nodoka questioned, her eyes straying, looking for her son.

"We have found pig boy's heart crystal." Shampoo added as she leapt down next to her great-grandmother, sweeping past Mousse without another word. "Heal him now, yes?"

"You found him?" Akane asked quickly. "What about Ranma?"

"Akane...there is something that might be hard for you to accept."

"My son is hurt?!" Nodoka divined, clutching her husband's arm painfully, as evidenced by his wince.

"Ranma…"

"That boy was a fake."

Cologne turned to see Happosai standing in the corner, paging through a swimsuit magazine restlessly.

"What?!" Akane screeched. "Ranma wasn't a fake!"

"Demon woman kill him, but when he die, only crystal form," Shampoo attempted to explain, for the first time truly ashamed at her lack of eloquence in Japanese.

"She killed him?!" Akane's aura burst forth, the bright blue beginning to peel at the paint.

"Calm yourself, girl!" Happosai shot, starting at her intently. Akane obeyed the grandmaster quickly, though her expression indicated her restlessness.

"Ranma was a daimon," Cologne continued. "Apparently, somehow, he managed to take Ranma's form."

"We'll have to ask Ryoga, then, when he wakes up."

Everyone turned to see Nabiki running a hand through her sleep-mussed hair, sighing.

"And Kasumi should be up soon as well, she'd be getting up in an hour or so normally to start breakfast."

"But..." Akane floundered. "What does this mean, then?"

"Mistress Nine still controls Ranma's body, most likely." Nabiki yawned suddenly. "Cologne, any chance of getting some breakfast?"

"I'll do it," Nodoka offered shakily, and beside her, Genma's pale white face eased significantly as she let go of his arm, striding back into the kitchen.

"I'll help," akane offered morosely, barely missing the sign of panic on Soun's face forming.

"Akane-chan, don't you think it would be best for Kasumi to see her family when she wakes up?"

"But…Aunty's got to be hurting, daddy."

"Genma will take care of her, won't you old friend?"

Genma said nothing, rubbing his arm.

"Won't you?" Soun repeated in a strained voice, making sure to grab Genma's arm extra hard to make his point.

"Of course," Genma blustered, not moving a muscle.

"See, Akane-chan? Let's go wait for your sister."

Indecision warred on Akane's face for a few moments, before she nodded slowly, moving towards the stairs to Kasumi's new room.

Soun followed her quickly, but Nabiki stopped on her way up to the stairs.

"Say," she paused. "Has anyone actually seen the Kunos recently?"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Sasuke gulped once more as he raced across the skyline of greater Japan, shuddering as he remembered the conversation between his master and the mistress.

"Brother dearest, I tell you, that woman will lead us to Ranma-sama."

"Nay, sister! He has shown his true colors, summoning the foul demoness in an attempt to truly stop me on my quest to aid the fair Akane Tendo!"

Kodachi laughed manically, the sound sending shivers down Sasuke's spine.

"Brother, could you not see the look in her eyes? Such magnificent control…" her voice trailed off dreamily as she caressed her brother's shoulder. "I could learn from her, she would help me in making Ranma-sama mine!"

"Sister, I will not allow you to-"

Kuno frowned as he took another sip from his tea, only to find himself paralyzed from the waist down.

"When did you slip the powder into my drink, sister?"

"It was there the whole time, brother. But it was harmless until I activated it with the chemicals on my hand."

She stood imperiously.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke cringed, but knew he had no choice.

"Mistress?" he answered, appearing out of the shadows.

"You will find that woman for me!" Kodachi commanded. "And you will return, and guide me to her!"

Sasuke's Addams apple bobbed nervously as he bowed, not wishing to risk his mistress' ire.

He stopped suddenly, snapping out of his musings as he paused, watching the Sailor Senshi disperse from a nearby rooftop.

Figuring his odds better by staying close to them rather than far, he followed discretely, being careful to keep his aura contained.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Setsuna groaned as consciousness slowly forced itself upon her aching head, the drumming of her pounding temples thrumming incessantly.

"Feeling a little under the weather?"

Her eyes shot open instantly, whipping into a sitting position.

"You heartless bitch." She swore, picking up the Garnet Staff from its resting position at the head of the bedframe.

"You needed incentive," Nine shrugged. "Nothing less than an oath would have sufficed, Setsuna. And given our track record, frankly, I don't think you would have agreed any other way."

Setsuna said nothing, smashing the staff towards Nine's throat.

To her surprise, her arm stopped exactly an inch from finishing the attack.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, she pulled back, charging up a dead scream.

After a few moments, it was all she could do not to scream in frustration, her teeth grinding against each other as she futilely attempted to finish her attack sequence.

"Setsuna, don't you remember our promise?" Nine sounded almost hurt, lifting a hand to her chest in mock dismay.

"No!" Setsuna growled. "You torture me, you torture my daughter, and you expect me to believe you that I would make an oath with you?!"

Nine's expression faded as she dropped her hand, the appendage closing into a fist.

"Trust me, Setsuna," she stated calmly. "When you feel that kind of pain, you'll do anything to make it stop."

"Like you would know," Setsuna retorted. "The only suffering you've ever done is when Saturn-"

She stopped immediately as the halberd leveled itself an inch from her throat.

"Stop, Ukyo." Nine's voice was firm.

"But Mistress, she-"

"I said stop."

Though the command was stated calmly, Setsuna could feel the underlying hostility. Ukyo must have sensed it as well, for she quickly withdrew her weapon, still glaring at Setsuna.

Nine was silent for a few moments before smirking suddenly.

"My…host suffered a very similar treatment during his formative years, Setsuna. It was a very…interesting thing, forcing him to relive those experiences in order to make you feel the same effects."

"Monster," Setsuna whispered.

"Perhaps," Nine agreed. "But I make no pretense as to what I am, Setsuna."

She gestured to the small cut on her right hand, the scar only barely visible in the dim hotel room lighting.

"But since you seem to be remiss in remembering our deal, we made an oath, you and I, that in return for helping me to defeat Kaolinite, I would leave the Senshi alive."

"No," Setsuna's voice raised slightly. "I would never…"

Nine grabbed her hand roughly, forcing her own left hand into the lighting, where a matching scar was visible.

"Your subconscious mind apparently had other ideas," She mocked, letting Setsuna's hand drop.

"Unfortunately, this does make my work harder," She leaned against a wall, staring at Setsuna inscrutably.

"But even though I can't kill the other Senshi, the oath doesn't say that I can't beat them to within an inch of their lives."

Setsuna frowned. "This doesn't explain why I couldn't attack you."

"I rather doubt that your mind believes hurting me is going to help me defeat Kaolinite, Setsuna."

The green haired woman turned away, her eyes seeking out the rays of the sun, now peeking through the skyline.

"You appear to have an oath, Nine," She turned again, facing Mistress Nine and Ukyo evenly. "Now, where is Kaolinite?"

"Suddenly so eager?" Mistress Nine sounded almost pleased, and Setsuna smiled humorlessly, shrugging.

"The sooner I get this over with, the sooner you die."

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

A faint beeping was all the warning Sailor Mercury had.

"Scatter!" She shouted, throwing herself to the side of the road as the attack hit home, a giant object crushing the pavement where she had been running only a moment before.

As she rose to her feet, summoning the Mercury harp to her side, she caught a glimpse of a pinkish blob slowly rising, its shape twisting and forming at the same time.

As she continued to watch, the other Senshi slowly closed the distance until they were almost back to back, each standing at the ready.

The now humanoid shapes, numbering twenty in total, rose in eerie unison.

"Daimons," Venus breathed out, her eyes straying nervously. "There are so many of them…and they haven't fused with anything yet…"

The shapes turned, each forming wickedly sharp claws from their hands.

"Senshi…Die."

With those words, they leapt.

A/N

I'd say the halfway mark has been crossed.

Reviews, as always, are appreciated.

As always, this chapter is reading less than my master copy, so if something's glaringly missing…please, do let me know.


	10. Transgressions

Resurrection of the Silence

A Ranma ½ Sailor Moon crossover by Metroidvania

Disclaimer: I'm just expressing an idea here, no profit intended.

Warnings: Violence, Language, and a fair amount of Angst…

Note: Now after the wedding Ranma-wise, and after Galaxia SM-wise

Thanks to everyone at Fukufics for the inspiration and the information.

"Spoken Words"

_Thoughts_

Chapter 9: Transgressions

"So how long can you keep up that Senshi transformation, Setsuna?" Mistress Nine asked as the trio of herself, the eldest Senshi, and Ukyo leapt over the rooftops of the Juuban district.

"And I should tell you…why?" Setsuna's voice was no longer bluntly antagonistic, but Nine could read the anger lurking beneath the surface.

"Well, if we're in the middle of trashing Kaolinite, it'd probably be best to know if you're about to forcibly drop your transformation sequence. I can't have you dying on me, after all."

"The Time Gates weren't a part of our deal," Setsuna warned her, eyes flicking to the silent Ukyo for a moment before returning to staring at her captor.

"I'm well aware," Nine stated smoothly, her voice reaching Setsuna's ears easily despite their speed, and the interference from the wind.

She stopped suddenly, motioning for Setsuna to do the same, and the eldest Senshi glanced around, taking in her surroundings.

"Another safehouse?" she guessed, and Nine smiled, pleased at her deductive reasoning.

"Indeed. Until Kaolinite uses enough power for me to sense her, we're going to wait."

"Mercury probably has a fix on their location already." Setsuna boasted, only to scowl at Mistress Nine's glare.

"And she'd probably be trying to kill me on the way. No, I'd rather not fight the Senshi at the moment..."

Nine staggered, almost losing her balance. Instantly, Ukyo was at her side, helping her to regain her footing. Setsuna quirked an eyebrow.

"Feeling a little under the weather?"

"Silence," Nine hissed, her hair beginning to flicker as the anger finally rose to her eyes. "I do not have the luxury of a planet to draw on, and the…"

"The what?" Setsuna pressed, eager for anything that would help her defeat the daimon once the truce between them had ended.

"…Nothing you need concern yourself with." The other woman's voice was back to normal now, the easy, almost purring tone grating on Setsuna's nerves. "Now, we wait."

"You expect me to just sit here?" Setsuna asked, one hand gripping her staff tightly.

"Setsuna, the key word here is 'Helping me' defeat Kaolinite." Nine smirked at her, violet eyes dancing with dark mirth. "While I'm sure that it could be construed many different ways, leaving would not be high among that list."

"Then tell me something," Pluto demanded.

"I'm not your personal information kiosk," Nine warned, her eyes narrowing in intensity. "And there is a limit to my patience, and trust me, you don't want me toeing that line."

Refusing to be intimidated, Setsuna pressed on.

"How did you come back?"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Uranus, to your left!"

Saturn's cry was barely heeded in time as the Senshi of wind whirled to her left, decapitating the pink daimon with a pointed shout, the Space Sword glimmering in the dim glow of the various store lights.

"They're not dying!" Venus cried out, Crescent Beams blowing holes clean through the daimons, who shrugged it off as if they had been mere love taps.

"Moon!" Mars cried. "Try your attack!"

"I can't," Moon replied quickly. "Every time I try, they manage to get too close!"

"They're getting smarter," Neptune commented, Deep Submerging a daimon into a mass of pink, water, goop…only to have it twitch and begin reforming a few seconds later.

Saturn was silent as she slashed through three daimons with the Glaive, hands tightening as the halves slowly moved towards each other. So distracted was she that she missed the daimon sneaking up behind her, taking a claw to the back of her seifuku.

She cried out involuntarily, the razor sharp claws tearing against the magical armor.

A blast of lightning tore down behind her, and she gave a shaky nod to Jupiter as her armor began to repair itself. The Senshi of wood and thunder nodded in response, and turned back to Mercury.

"The daimons seem to be a new breed." Mercury admitted, her visor flashing in rapid succession.

"Thank you, genius!" Mars gritted her teeth as she leased another arrow into an incoming daimon.

"Our attacks are having an effect," Mercury continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, knowing of Mars temperamental nature. "But their powers of regeneration seem to be based on a connection to chaos."

"Would Moon's attack cut that off?" Uranus asked, now back to back with her lover as the two of them cut through the swath of half-formed daimons, deftly evading the reaching claws, jaws, and other appendages.

"It should," Mercury nodded, one hand brushing against invisible strings, and the Mercury Harp acted upon her desire, creating an icy swath that froze several of the daimons in their tracks.

"All right then, protect Moon!" Venus shouted, happy to have a plan. Her Love-me chain whipped out, smashing a daimon into two others as she leapt over their heads, joining the now-forming circle of Senshi.

"Hurry it up, Meatball head!" Mars cried out as she loosed arrow after arrow at the oncoming horde.

"Moon…Starlight…Honeymoon…Therapy Kiss!"

The beam of pure white light shot out towards the encircling beasts, sending them back, reeling in pain as their crude eyes strained against the forced blindness.

"Now!" Mercury cried, and the Senshi released their attacks as one.

After the dust had cleared, Moon peeked her head over Uranus' shoulder.

"Are they gone?" She asked curiously.

"…Yes," Mercury announced. "They've disintegrated."

"I didn't think Nine had access to daimons like that," Venus stated as she moved forward, one hand still resting on the pommel of her sword.

"Taking things on directly seemed to be more her style," Moon admitted.

Before the conversation could continue, however, the various residents of the area began to peek out, and Mars cringed, opening her mouth to tell the Senshi to…

"Rooftops."

The Senshi of Fire turned to face her Princess, eyes widening in surprise. Moon turned and smiled at her for a moment before leaping onto one of the nearby rooftops.

_Usagi Is growing up_…she thought to herself as she followed suit. _Can't say I mind, either._

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Pantyhose Tarou was angry.

Actually, scratch that, he was **seething.**

"Damned old freak, damn hermaphrodite, Damn little magical girls…"

"Excuse me, young man?"

Tarou didn't even look up, ignoring the bitch, probably only interested in getting into his pants.

"Did I just hear you say you hate the Sailor Senshi?"

Tarou stopped dead, finally turning to face the woman speaking to him.

"What's it to you?" He demanded, fists clenching. If he was going to be neutral about this, which, in his state of mind, he certainly wasn't, the woman was pretty in a pale sort of way, red hair a few shades darker than the transvestite, well-stacked, with legs that wouldn't quit.

Of course, he noticed none of this, focusing on her face.

"I happen to share a…similar dislike." The woman admitted modestly, shrugging.

"So?"

"So, young man, I'm guessing that they did something to you?"

"Those damn bitches took my curse!"

"Curse?" the woman sounded even more curious now, and Tarou paused.

"I used to be able to turn into a being of immense strength…and those whores took it away!"

"Ah…" the woman fell silent, and Tarou began walking once more.

"Wait!" the redhead called out after him, falling in step with him.

"Get lost." Tarou rumbled, aura beginning to manifest as his anger slow-boiled.

"I can restore your curse." The woman finished, and smirked as she saw Tarou's foot freeze in mid-extension.

"Don't lie to me, the old crone told me that the girls had sealed up the springs for good or something."

"They didn't get everything," the woman promised, her eyes shining with a decidedly sinister gleam. Tarou, though, didn't even notice, his mind already flashing back to a broken Happosai, begging to let Tarou change his name.

"What do you want?" He asked finally, though it was more of a formality than anything else in his mind.

"Just help me…deal with the Senshi after you get your curse back."

"That's it?" Tarou asked, suspicious now. In his dealings with anything magical, except for Jusenkyo, everything in life came with a price. Tit for tat, yin and yang, call it what you will, but he had seen far too many examples of it coming true to suddenly believe in miraculous luck.

"That's it." The woman confirmed. "Now, follow me, young man."

"Tarou," The boy corrected her.

"Then call me Kaolinite." The woman asserted as she and the formerly cursed boy disappeared down a side street.

Tarou had a sudden flash of panic, but forced it down, focusing on his revenge. He had purposely dunked himself in the pools of Jusenkyo to beat Happosai, he wasn't going to miss out on a second chance, no matter how dangerous it seemed.

Besides, if worse came to worse, judging from "Kaolinite's" physique, he would have no trouble besting her in a fight…and what came afterwards would not be pleasant for her. Not at all.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"How did I come back?" Mistress Nine pondered the question as she pulled out a pair of what looked to be a pair of nondescript black pants. "An interesting question to ask…curiosity, or something deeper?"

Setsuna shrugged, giving off an attitude that suggested she could care less about what Nine thought. Internally, though, her mind was intensely focused, ready to dissect Nine's story, gain useful facts, and turn them against her captor at the first opportunity.

"Curiosity, I suppose." She admitted after a moment, having let the silence run long enough. She had noticed that around Nine, the background noise seemed to diminish, becoming less noticeable, but filed that question for later.

"Hmm…well, there once was a man in Nantucket…" Setsuna stared at Nine blankly, her mind recognizing neither the place nor the rhyme which upon it was based. Nine chuckled, handing the pants to Ukyo, who, acting on some sort of communication, took her leave through the door to the small room, closing the door with a gentle "click."

"Forget it, a nonsensical English saying." Nine sighed, the tension disappearing from her body as she moved to the floor, entering a meditative posture.

"Should I have even bothered asking?" Setsuna snarled, and Nine opened one eye to stare at her.

"That can't be good for your blood pressure, Setsuna. And besides, that vein sticking out of your neck does make you look rather unattractive."

"You…you…" Setsuna sputtered.

"Are you sure you're not interested in something a little more personal, Setsuna?" Nine mocked her, and Setsuna's jaw closed with a snap. "After all," Nine continued. "I hear it's a great stress reliever, and you just look so tense…"

"You can stop trying to keep me off balance," Pluto was back in control now. "It's not like I would believe any story of yours anyways." She sniffed and closed her eyes, reclining into her chair.

"I'll tell you a story, Setsuna, and it's your choice on whether or not to listen."

Setsuna kept her eyes shut, but her ears perked up slightly.

"There once was an individual who had been born for a very specific role in life. Their parents knew from the day the child was born that their baby would be destined for great things."

"I saw Ran-"

"Don't interrupt." Nine's voice was harsh, and Setsuna followed the command.

"Now then," Nine continued. "The father took the child on a long journey, spanning many years. Along the way, he made many promises for the child's future, some honest, some deceitful, some downright for his own benefit."

"As the child grew older, as the parents had predicted, the youth's skill grew and grew, until the father was certain that they would be chosen amongst all of the candidates. After all, his child was the best."

"Unfortunately, however, the father's earlier promises came back to harm his dreams three-fold. He had spread his promises too thin. As a result, the child's friends learned of the father's deeds, and grew angry. They could not decide amongst themselves who would take the position, but one thing was certain, none of the others would be allowed to be near the child."

Setsuna growled internally. If Nine was trying to go for a convoluted backstory on her host's history, she really needn't have bothered.

"Each friend formed a plan, on how they would best take advantage of the situation. Again, unfortunately, fate had other ideas. Each plan backfired, the friends trying to take advantage of the child's situation for their own efforts."

Nine paused, and Setsuna finally glanced down to her, wondering the point of all this.

"The child cried out in anger, frustration, and sadness. They had been betrayed by those they considered dear to them, and deep in their heart, they cried out for vengeance."

"And you answered." Setsuna interrupted again. "I get that, I've already seen Ranma's life up to when you took over."

"But you have to agree, my way was quite a bit more mysterious." Nine stood, grabbing the pair of pants from the just returning Ukyo, pulling off her shoes, and dropping her skirt.

Setsuna looked away, rolling her eyes at Nine's brazen audacity.

"And I bet you were wondering if there was some parallel to my life before Pharaoh 90, weren't you? Poor Nine, the misunderstood villainess, enslaved by the cruelty of others…"

After a few moments and another low laugh, she turned around, ignoring Nine's last comment.

"Mistress…" Ukyo spoke softly, but Nine shrugged her off.

"Leave it, Ukyo." The girl nodded slowly, stepping back.

"Now…." Nine trailed off, turning to stare out at the sunrise. "There."

"Kaolinite?" Setsuna guessed, standing and stretching out her legs.

"We're going." Nine commanded, leaping out the open window, followed closely by Sailor Pluto, Ukyo taking the rear, one hand already resting on her halberd.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Now, as I was saying, Nine didn't generally use daimons, did she?"

Moon's question was greeted by shrugs all around, and she turned to Saturn.

"…She generally liked killing things by herself," Saturn admitted. "At least, I think so."

"So then it was…."

"Kaolinite." Uranus finished Venus' drawn out half-statement, half-question. "Mercury, is there any way you can trace it at all?"

Mercury frowned.

"After Moon blew away the link to chaos, the signal got weak quite swiftly. It would be a slow job, I'd have to recreate their steps…"

She broke off suddenly, even as all of the Senshi sensed the vast gathering of dark energy to the east.

"Or," Mercury admitted weakly as the other Senshi took off. "We could just use that."

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as the woman his mistress had ordered him to find leapt off in the distance, and as he turned his head to follow her, an ominous feeling rose to the back of his neck, causing a shiver.

Cursing his luck in actually spotting the sorceress, he pulled out his mobile phone, and quickly sent Mistress Kodachi the direction in which the woman was heading.

A moment later, he read that he was to follow the stranger, and keep her informed.

Sighing, he sent up a prayer to his ancestors before following the trio at a discrete distance.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

As she followed her Mistress and Sailor Pluto, Ukyo Kuonji wondered to herself on how far things would progress, and if the plan envisioned in her Mistress' mind would still play out that way she had hoped.

She was able to sense a dim outline of the scheme with her connection to Mistress Nine, and the plan shared both her fiancé's tactical genius and reliance on desperate schemes as well as the new output of Mistress Nine's powers and other talents.

Ukyo was still wary of Sailor Pluto, though, and Mistress Nine's reluctance to just deal with her. She recognized the need for the Gates of Time, but she still didn't trust the Senshi any farther than her new daimon-enhanced arm could throw her.

And if that wasn't bad enough, something was troubling her Mistress. She had tried several times to help, but each, Mistress Nine had rebuffed her. Yes, it had been far more gentle than Ukyo had deserved, but in most circumstances, she would have gladly accepted the punishment.

Serving her Mistress was her highest priority, and to step out of those boundaries was now unthinkable to the girl.

In the dimmest recess of her mind, something protested at this new, unwavering loyalty, but she utterly ignored it.

Her Mistress…her fiancé had saved her from the brink of death. She could do no less in return than to place her life in the hands of her savior.

With this sudden self-conflict solved, Ukyo emptied her mind, and focused on following her Mistress and the Senshi to the sudden eruption of chaotic energy, of which the bitch Kaolinite was sure to be involved in.

She would enjoy gutting the redhead, she mused. She would enjoy it greatly.

//--//--//--//--//--//

Sailor Pluto stared at Mistress Nine's back as she followed, her mind racing with curiosity.

As she had seen earlier, something was…different with Mistress Nine. She could barely recall the actions to which Nine had pervaded into her subconscious, but from what little she could remember, Nine could have gotten quite a rather mild oath. Granted, her magic and her previous oath to Serenity would not have allowed Nine to extract a promise of such magnitude that would require her to hurt the Senshi, or access the Time Gates without her conscious and aware permission, which she would never give.

She had deduced that Nine needed her time-based abilities for some reason, most likely to travel back in time and manage to summon Pharaoh 90 and end the world before Saturn could be awoken.

Not for the first time, she cursed Galaxia and her bracelets. While under her control, all of Setsuna's knowledge had been made privy to the chaos-infested Senshi, and while Galaxia had been far too arrogant to consider using it, had she been more astute, she could have gone back into the past, killed off Moon before any of the other Senshi had awoken, and won without a fight.

But Mistress Nine had admitted to being made privy to the knowledge through the cauldron of Chaos, which meant that she did at least know how the Gates worked, and would almost certainly have no such hesitation in killing off Moon.

As soon as Kaolinite was gone, and if Moon wasn't on hand to force Nine out of the Saotome boy, she would have to kill Mistress Nine and her host. Without mercy, and without hesitation.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

Akane blinked tiredly, fighting to keep her eyes open, in order to not miss Kasumi's return to consciousness.

She watched on drowsily, her head drooping slightly as her eldest sister remained blissfully unconscious, the expression on her face the very picture of serenity.

A finger twitched, and adrenaline shot through Akane's nerves.

"Sis?" She whispered softly.

"Akane…" Kasumi whispered back, sitting up in bed. "But if you're here…." Her eyes took on a terrified glance, and one pale hand clutched Akane's wrist desperately.

"Where is Ranma?!" she breathed, voice almost too quiet to be heard.

"He's…he's still possessed by that demon lady." Akane admitted, only to pause in confusion as Kasumi shook her head.

"I saw him!" The eldest Tendo daughter insisted. "He caught up to me at the market, he told me everything was fine, and then he…"

Tears formed from Kasumi's eyelids, and the eldest Tendo's hands flew to her face.

"Kasumi , it's okay." Akane tried to comfort her, but her sister would have none of it, beginning to weep.

"Nabiki!" Akane shouted, having no clue on how to comfort her surrogate mother. "Daddy! Kasumi's awake!"

There was the sound of rushing footsteps from the stairway, and Soun burst onto the scene, followed closely by Nabiki.

"Kasumi!" The Patriarch cried, waterworks already beginning to erupt from his face. "My daughter is alive!"

Kasumi's eyes widened in shock, and Nabiki promptly smacked Soun upside the back of his head.

"Daddy, you're not helping." She stated calmly, and the fountain stopped as if plugged.

"But…" Soun blubbered, and Nabiki sighed.

"Sis, how are you feeling?" she asked, ignoring Soun's new tears over the cries of how his daughters hated him.

"I'm…okay." Kasumi replied finally, hands dropping down to her sides.

"Can…can you tell us what happened?" Akane asked cautiously.

"Indeed, I find myself curious as well."

"Cologne!" Akane whirled around, almost dropping into a defensive stance before catching herself.

"He…he…" Kasumi stopped, looking at the small clock on the wall. "Oh my, I should start making breakfast!"

A twitch formed on Nabiki's right eye.

"Sis, Aunty is making breakfast…"

"Then I should help her."

Not minding the fact that she was still dressed in yesterday's clothes, Kasumi eased out of her bed slowly, patted herself down, and hurried downstairs.

"It is how she copes," Soun tearfully explained to Cologne. "Takes after her mother…"

"Very well, I can wait until she has properly recovered. I will be back shortly with Shampoo and Mousse."

Cologne pogoed out of the room, and presumably, out of the Tendo home.

"That was…."

"Odd." Nabiki finished Akane's sentence for her. Shrugging as one, the two followed Soun out of Kasumi's room, the door sliding shut.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"That display should be more than enough," Kaolinite called over her shoulder as she walked into the abandoned courtyard.

"Yes, Mistress," came the decidedly animalistic tones from several shadowy figures.

"You and you," The former assistant pointed out. "Wait for the Senshi. You," She continued. "Wait until Mistress Nine appears, and jump her."

The silhouettes nodded, and with a flourish of her lab coat, Kaolinite stalked off. The three beings melted further into the shadows of the courtyard, avoiding the slowly rising rays of the sun.

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Here!" Mercury called out, dropping to the middle of the courtyard. "The signal is coming from in here."

The Senshi fanned out, presenting a half circle, protecting Moon.

"They're right on top of us," The Senshi of Ice continued, eyes darting about the lot in front of her.

"Very good," a voice growled from the blackness. "But not good enough."

From one of the corners, a black blur darted forward, intent on ramming Mercury. Mars shot off a Flame Sniper as a deterrent, and the creature dove into the ground, disappearing beneath the crumbling concrete.

"What is it?" Uranus asked, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Suddenly, the ground beneath her shattered like glass, and she could do nothing but cry out as she fell.

At the last moment, Neptune grabbed her free hand, and with supreme force of will, hoisted the larger girl up out of the pit.

"Jump!" Mercury cried as her visor flared. "It's coming up again!" The Senshi leapt up as one, leaping into the air.

Unfortunately for them, that was when the second beast struck.

Out of the air came a hideous shrieking sound, and before the girls could react, a giant, bird-like creature struck, razor sharp talons drawing large gashes in Saturn and Mars' arms.

Venus launched a Crescent Beam as she fell back to earth, but out of nowhere, a manhole appeared. As the two connected, the metal, superheated, exploded into dozen of shards, heading down towards the Senshi. Saturn spotted the falling projectiles, and quickly placed up a Silence Wall, shielding her fellow Senshi from the quivering daggers, embedded firmly within the wall.

"What kind of daimons are these?" Jupiter asked breathily.

The bird-monster landed in a nearby tree, the black blur, now revealing itself to be a giant boar, burrowing out of the ground beside it.

Unlike the daimons, who, despite their unique "characteristics, had been more or less humanoid, the beasts were the opposite. Their bodies carried very little resemblance to humans in physical form, almost fully embracing their animalistic attributes.

"We…are your doom." The boar huffed, its teeth peeling back menacingly.

"Indeed," The bird shrieked. "It's your turn to feel suffering before you perish."

"We need a plan," Venus whispered as she moved closer to Moon.

"I'm thinking," Mercury shot back, eyes flickering to the two daimons.

"Couldn't Jupiter deal with the underground thingie and Venus lasso on the bird?"

"That…would work," Mercury admitted, giving Moon a momentary glance. "Mars and Uranus support Venus, while Neptune and I protect Jupiter….Moon, you get ready to finish either of them off when we trap them, Saturn, you're with Moon."

Moon nodded eagerly, scepter held at the ready.

"Finally ready to die?" The bird shrieked.

"Very well," The boar continued. "Now, you perish!"

Having said their piece, the bird once more took to the sky, while the boar burrowed into the dirt.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Jupiter cried out, slamming her fists into the ground.

"Venus Love Me chain!" Venus cried simultaneously, the golden whip shooting out towards the bird's leg.

Even as the ground rumbled, the bird shrieked, straining to get free, Venus barely managing to hold onto the chain.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Space Sword Buster!"

The two quickest attacks of the Senshi shot out towards the aerial daimon, Jupiter's shaking of the ground revealed one of the boar beast's tunnels.

"Deep Submerge!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Neptune and Mercury flooded the revealed tunnel with a torrential burst of freezing water, forcing more and more liquid down into the hole.

Back by the tree, the boar stumbled out, even as the bird monster duplicated its earlier maneuver, a long spear hitting Mars' arrow, while a strange looking shield disintegrated under Uranus' energy sphere. It struggled, and Venus was forced to dispel the chain before she could be lifted and carried off by the inhuman being.

"You're going to have to do a lot more damage than that, Senshi," The boar chuckled, seemingly unhurt. "We're not ordinary daimons, after all."

"Yes," The bird screeched, flapping its wings majestically. "We're far more powerful, thanks to being in our hosts for so long."

"Wait," Saturn paused, Glaive balanced between her fingers expertly as she stood in front of Moon. "You're…"

"That's right," the boar grunted. "We have been given the power of the cursed fools in Nerima. We should thank you, Sailor Moon. It was due to your efforts that we were able to take our true forms."

"I…" Moon's voice trailed off.

"Wasn't it you who said let the people deal with chaos in their own way?" The boar grunted out, teeth peeling back once more in an awful grin. "And then you go and do something like this, releasing us."

"I didn't…." Moon whispered incredulously, her eyes darting to the two daimon beasts, her grip on her scepter loosening.

"But you did," The bird shrieked triumphantly. "And now….you die!"

It shot downwards with stunning speed, talons that were sharp enough to pierce steel heading straight for the Princess.

Saturn readied herself, waiting until the last possible moment to throw up a Silence Wall that would hopefully shred the thing…when out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glare of a metal object hurtling down towards her. She threw herself to the side, but it was not her the halberd was descending upon.

The gigantic avian screeched in confusion as it too spotted the weapon, cutting its dive short and flapping desperately, trying to regain some altitude.

"Over there!" Mars pointed out unnecessarily, as all the Senshi were already staring up at the nearby rooftop.

"This a private dance, Pig boy, or may I cut in?"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

While the Senshi had originated the encounter with the two daimons, Mistress Nine stood watching, observing the tactics of both sides.

"Pluto," she announced finally. "Stay back unless it's necessary."

Setsuna started to argue, but before she could voice any of her arguments, Nine was directly in front of her, strands of hair whirling to an invisible breeze.

"Quiet, Setsuna," She purred. "You don't want your daughter to think you've gone to the Dark Side, do you?"

Setsuna, unable to think of a reply to this, nodded angrily. Nine, satisfied, turned to Ukyo.

"Fire a warning shot on the bird when it dives."

The former chef nodded, hoisting her axe like a gigantic javelin.

The two waited in silence for a few moments.

At Nine's signal, Ukyo's arm came crashing down with stunning force, whipping the gigantic blade towards the bird…and, by proxy, Saturn.

Setsuna gasped in both shock and horror, but Ukyo's aim was true; the halberd firmly embedded itself in the ground scant inches from Nine's former host, pole quivering slightly from the impact.

Nine nodded to the girl, and stepped forward, out of the shadows.

"This a private dance, Pig boy, or may I cut in?"

//--//--//--//--//--//--//

"Mistress Nine!" Venus cried out, her focus temporarily diverted from the two daimons.

"Where is she?!" Saturn continued. "If you've hurt her, Nine…"

"Saturn-chan, please try and think of something new, those old threats almost make me think you don't even really care…" Nine adopted a hurt expression, leaping down from the rooftop to stare at both the Senshi and daimons.

She closed her eyes, focusing, and once more, after a flash of blackness that was impossible to see through, Mistress Nine was once more in the guise of a dark Seifuku, Tioron Crystal embedded in her bow.

"You can't fool us," Jupiter declared. "We've dealt with you false Senshi before!"

"I'm not wearing a bracelet, so it must be a pretty good fake, hmm?" Nine countered, holding out her wrists for all to see. And it was true, under the gloves, there was no evidence of any false powers brought on by Galaxia.

"Stop ignoring us!" the boar cried, charging towards Nine with previously unseen speed.

Nine smirked, and in her hands, twin balls of purple and black energy that Saturn recognized from their earlier encounter aboard the rooftop.

As she watched, fascinated, Nine's hands clenched around the growing spheres, the energy transferring to her gloves, giving them the appearance of gauntlets.

Nine stood, that confident smirk adorning her face as she stood, stance low, ready to receive the charging boar.

With a roar that shook the earth itself, the boar's tusks smashed into Nine's waiting arms….and forced them backwards.

Nine blinked in surprise, trying desperately to throw herself to the side, but before she could free herself, the boar slammed her full bore into the wall, tusks cutting through her gloves, sliding to the side as some black liquid leaked out, and pinning the Messiah of Silence to the wall like a Pincushion.

"Overconfident as always," The boar grunted, even as the bird took to the air once more. "It always was your undoing."

"And your stupidity was yours," Nine replied with a smirk. In her hands, the glow from earlier reappeared, and she smashed her left hand into the boar's snout, leading to a squeal of pain as the beast tore loose from the cement and brick.

The beast took a few steps backwards, tusks stained with black fluid.

"Tough as ever, I see." Nine noted as she stepped forwards. "Too bad you're much too slow."

"Nine!" Saturn's Glaive shot through the air as the girl leapt forward, anger overriding her common sense.

Nine, having been forewarned by Saturn's shout, quickly ducked backwards, her whole body twirling into motion as she spun low under the Glaive.

"Did…she just copy the Matrix?" Moon asked absentmindedly.

"Really not the time!" Mars shouted, bow held at the ready, but unsure of who to take out first.

The bird beast made her decision for her, taking another dive towards the group of Senshi.

Mars exhaled slowly, letting the oxygen fuel her fiery arrow, and letting it fly with utter precision into the bird's chest.

The daimon apparently had not seen the arrow coming, and thus, was not able to dodge or materialize some sort of ancient weapon in its defense, crying out in pain and surprise as it fell towards the ground, barely pulling out of its dive and riding on a morning thermal of hot, rising air.

"Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, help Saturn!" Moon commanded, her earlier timidness disappearing. "The rest of you, focus on the daimons!"

"I'm almost insulted," Nine commented, standing between Saturn and the Glaive, glowing gloves still held at the ready. "The four of you won't be nearly enough to stop me…"

"Then how about just me?"

An additional voice rang out from Nine's right, and before the Messiah of Silence could twirl out of the way, a gigantic lavender furred lioness was on top of her.

"Cats never miss their pounce," it proclaimed in a satisfied manner, and raised one paw for a swipe to Nine's neck.

"C-c-c-c…" Saturn grabbed the Glaive out of the wall, and turned to face Nine. To her shock, her nemesis seemed paralyzed under the gigantic purple cat, eyes full of fear.

"Mistress!"

Saturn jerked back to the voice, where a girl rushed towards the cat and Nine, halberd at the ready.

"…Ukyo?" She asked faux-calmly.

The girl flipped into the air, ready to come down with a crushing blow on the lioness…only to be have her arm shredded by the birds waiting talons. Giving out a small cry, she dropped to the ground, one arm hanging loosely at her side, the other clutching the gigantic axe with white knuckles.

"You've got to stop that thing!" She cried out, struggling to her feet.

"You want me to help Nine?!" Saturn asked incredulously, even as Venus shot a blast towards the boar, who was unable to dodge, getting blasted backwards into the wall, while the bird fell prey to a slash from Uranus' Space Sword, barely avoiding having its pinion feathers clipped as it struggled to regain altitude.

Even as Nine struggled uselessly under the Lioness' full-body trap, the lioness herself apparently enjoying the moment, carving various slashes up and down Nine's arms, fear began to instill itself inside Saturn's mind.

She ignored it as best she could, but soon, the pain forced her to her knees.

The boar spotted this weakness, and charged her, taking the full brunt of Neptune's Submarine Tide Reflection without even blinking, and rammed Saturn into the wall much like he had to Nine earlier.

Saturn gasped in pain, the air leaving her lungs in a whoosh as she fell to the ground, body twitching against her will.

"Saturn!" Uranus and Neptune cried out, moving towards her, even as the boar moved to finish its charge.

A ball of energy the color of the deepest pink shot down towards the boar, and where the other attacks had been shrugged off, by chance, or perhaps by incredible timing, the Dead Scream impacted upon its snout, where just scant minutes earlier, Nine had impacted with her magically augmented fist.

"Saturn," came a voice that Saturn recognized instantly, her face giving way to sheer and utter joy. "You looked like you could use a hand."

"Pluto!" Moon cried, echoed by all the other Senshi.

With a flick of her wrist, Pluto's staff embedded itself down upon the boar's snout, and the beast howled in pain as the unnaturally heavy metal crushed its nose. It quickly burrowed away, reappearing a fair distance away even as the bird hovered, unsure of who to attack next.

It was then that the fear inside Saturn's mind suddenly disappeared in a single instant.

"Me…ow…"

The Senshi, the boar, and the bird turned to stare at the lioness, only to see her sent flying twenty five feet into the air.

The female cat had landed on her feet, of course, but no one had missed the large slashes that had been gouged into her belly.

Mistress Nine stood on all fours, back arched, dark seifuku glittering with power, her hair moving as if under typhoon level winds.

The Neko-ken had been unleashed.

And it was not at all happy.

A/N: It's been a while, and I apologize. Been working on other projects for other writing groups for a while. But we're finally back to a vague sort of schedule. Of course, college always plays hell with that, so we'll see.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
